FROM  THE  LIBRARY  OF 
REV.   LOUIS    FITZGERALD    BENSON,  D.  D. 

BEQUEATHED   BY   HIM   TO 

THE   LIBRARY  OF 

PRINCETON  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 


Section        /Vg/<7 


K  FEB  21  1932  * 
THE  Wy  <j^ 

REFORMED    CHURCH 

IN  THE 

NETHERLANDS. 


TRACED 


From    A.  D.    1340   to  A.D.    1840, 


m 


SHORT     HISTORICAL     SKETCHES. 


BY 


«/ 


Rev.  MAURICE  G.  HANSEN,  A.M. 


NEW  YORK: 
Board  op  Publication  op  the  Reformed  Church  in  America, 

34  Vesey  Street. 
1884. 


Copyright,  1884. 

BY  THE 

Board  of  Publication-  of  the  Reformed  Church  a  America. 


PRINTED    BY    THE 

CHAS.   M.   GREEN   PRINTING  CO. 

I     76    9EEK*AN    STREET, 
NEW    YORK. 


PREFACE. 


The  attempt  to  reply  satisfactorily  to  an  inquiry  con- 
cern] og  a  con  pie  of  the  earliest  Synods  of  the  Reformed 
Church  in  the  Netherlands,  carried  me  farther  than  I  at 
first  designed.  Thai  inquiry,  addressed  to  one  of  the 
Editors  of  the  C  Intelligencer,  was  by  him  re- 

ferred to  me  with  the  reqtiest  that  I  would  contribute  a 
series  of  papers  on  these  original  assemblies. 

Reflecting  upon  the  period  in  the  history  of  the  Re- 
formed Church  in  which  they  occurred.  I  instincts 
applied  to  it  the  term  " formative."  As  I  advanced  in 
my  investigations,  not  only  was  I  prompted  to  retain 
that  term  because  it  dearly  expressed  the  character  of 
that  period,  but  it  also  forcibly  urged  me  to  enter  upon 
the  study  of  the  subsequent  history.  Indeed,  as  by  a 
it  led  me  to  the  division  of  that  part  of 
the  history  into  equally  plainly  defined  periods,  and  to 
^plication  to  each  of  them  of  a  title  that  should  in 
like  manner  at  once  indicate  its  general  tenor. 

us  of  the  :  :hat,  under  the  circum- 

stances,, succinctness  must  characterize  my  contributions, 
it  became  my  object  :  from  the  abundant  mate- 

rial at  hand,  that  which  strikingly  illustrates  a  compre- 
hensive governing  idea  or  principle.  When  it  had  been 
:ied,  the  hint  of  it  was  embodied  in  the 
heading  of  the  chapter  in  which  it  was  set  forth  and  il- 
lustrated. Thus  the  appellations  of  the  fourdesigr 
periods,  and  the  distinctive  titles  .:  the         .:es  under 


4  PREFACE. 

each  of  them,  together  constitute  an  analysis  of  the  His- 
tory, which  may  readily  fix  itself  in  the  mind  of  the 
reader,  while  at  the  same  time  it  points  out  the  line  along 
which  a  closer  investigation  may  be  pursued. 

The  adoption  of  what  may  be  called  the  biographical 
method  of  presenting  the  operation  of  a  principle,  and 
the  introduction  into  the  narrative  of  events,  of  seem- 
ingly trivial  incidents,  must  be  ascribed  to  the  desire  to 
make  the  history  vivid  and  interesting  to  the  general 
reader,  as  well  as  to  the  student  of  ecclesiastical  annals, 
to  whom,  particularly,  the  copious  index  may  prove  of 
value. 

Thirty-seven  of  the  forty-seven  chapters  of  the  book 
appeared  in  the  columns  of  the  Christian  Intelligencer. 
These  are  now  reprinted  with  necessary  alterations  and 
important  additions. 

The  favor  with  which  these  papers  were  received  by 
the  scholarly  readers  of  that  journal,  encouraged  me  to 
accede  to  the  frequently  expressed  wish  that  they  might 
be  put  in  a  permanent  form. 

A  list  of  the  sources  and  authorities  that  have  been 
consulted,  is  subjoined  for  the  convenience  of  those  who 
desire  to  prosecute  the  study  of  this  branch  of  historical 
literature. 

Notwithstanding  the  defects  of  my  work,  apparent  to 
the  eye  of  the  severely  impartial  critic,  the  author  trusts 
that  the  judgment  passed  upon  it  may  be  that  of  a  kind 
charity.  Especially  he  hopes  that  it  may  prove  the 
means  of  stimulating  the  members  of  the  Reformed 
Church  in  their  attachment  to  the  Church  of  their  Fa- 
thers, and  all  God's  people  of  whatever  name,  who  may 
be  pleased  to  honor  it  with  their  notice,  in  their  devo- 
tion to  the  Lord's  cause  and  kingdom  in  the  earth. 

M.  G.  H. 


LITEEATUEE. 


Acquoi,    J.  G.  R. — Kerk    en    Staat    ten    tyde    der    Republiek. 

(XXXI.  tafereel  in  Geschiedenis  der  Christelyke  Kerk  in 

Nederland.) 
Auerbach,  B. — Spinoza. 
Bekentenisse  of  Belydenis  des  geloofs  der  Nederlandsche  Gere- 

formeerde  Kerken. 
Bekker,  B. — De  betooverde  wereld. 
Brand,  G. — Historie  der  Reformatio 
Calkoen,  J.  M.  A. — De  Synode  te  Dordrecht  (X.  taf.  in  Geschied. 

der  Chr.  Kerk  in  Nederl.) 
D'Aubigne,  J.  M. — History  of  the  Reformation  in  the  time  of 

Calvin. 
Diest-Lorgion,  E.   J. — De  Nederduitsche  Hervormde  Kerk    in 
Friesland. 
Het  volksgeloof  (XXII.  taf.  in  Gesch.  der 

Chr.  Kerk  in  Nederl). 
Geschiedenis  der  Kerk-hervorming  in  ons 
Vaderland. 
Ducker,  A.  C. — Kerkelyke  twisten.     (XIX.  taf.  in  Gesch.  der 

Chr.  Kerk  in  Ned.) 
Ens,  Johannes. — Kort  historisch  berigt  van  de  formulieren. 
Glasius,  B. — Geschiedenis  der  Nederlandsche  Christelyke  Kerk 

na  de  hervorming. 
s'Gravezande. — Eerste  Synode  der  Nederlandsche  Kerken. 
Handelingen  der  Hervormde  Synoden. 
Le  Long,  Isaac. — Kort  historisch  verhaal  van  den  eersten  oor- 

sprong  der  Nederlandsche  Kerken  onder  't  Kruis. 
Lohr,  H.  C. — Mystiek  en  Fanatisme.     (XXIV  taf.  in  Gesch.  der 

Chr.  Kerk  in  Nederl.) 
Motley,  J.  L.—  Rise  of  the  Dutch  Republic. 


6  LITERATURE. 

Oordeel  (Het)  van  de  Nationale  Synode  van  Dordrecht  over  de 

vyf  stukken  der  leere. 
Post- Acta  van  de  Synode  van  Dordrecht. 
Schotel,  G.  D.  J. — Anna  Maria  Van  Schurman. 
Scott,  Thomas. — Translation  of  articles  of  Synod  of  Dort. 
Spinoza,  B. — Ethics. 
Ter  Haar,  B. — Stryd  en  verdeeldheid  in  de  Nederlandsche  Kerk. 

(XXXIII.  taf.  in  Gesch.  der  Chr.  Kerk  in  Nederl.) 
Ueberweg,  F. — History  of  Philosophy. 
Von  Mosheim,  J.  L. — Institutes  of  Ecclesiastical  History. 
Van  Prinsterer,    Groen — Handboek   der  Geschiedenis  van    het 

Vaderland. 
Wiarda,  J. — Wysbegeerte  en  de  Kerk  (XXVI.  taf.  in  Geschied. 

der  Chr.  Kerk  in  Nederl.) 
Ypey  en  Dermout. — Geschiedenis  der  Nederlandsche  Hervormde 
Kerk. 
Aanteekeningen. 


TABLE  OF  CONTEXTS. 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD. 

PAGE 

I.  The  plan  stated 13 

II.  The  influence  of  an  advanced  educational  system. . .  17 

III.  The  influence  of  the  diffusion  of  learning 23 

IV.  The  influence  of  a  consecrated  martyrdom 29 

V.  The  influence  of  a  reformatory  effort  within    the 

Church 35 

VI.  The  influence  of  a  bold  separatism 42 

VII.  The  adoption  of  a  confession  of  faith 51 

VIII.  Consolidation  by  means  of  dispersion 62 

IX.  The  formation  of  a  liturgy 69 

X.  The  Synod  of  Wezel  75 

XI.  The  Synod  of  Embden 82 

XII.  The  Provincial  Synod  of  Dordrecht 86 

XIII.  The  First  National  Synod  of  Dordrecht 92 

XIV.  The  Synod  of  Middelburg 99 


DEFENSIVE  PERIOD. 

I.  A  preparatory  survey 109 

II.  Undirected  liberty  of  conscience 115 

III .  Politico-ecclesiasticism 121 

IV.  Arminius 126 


8  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

V.  The  situation  just  before  the  great  Synod  of  Dor- 
drecht   133 

VI.  Arrangement  and  organization  of  the  Synod  of  Dor- 
drecht   139 

VII.  Doctrinal  questions  before  the  Synod 146 

VIII.  The  procedure  of  the  Synod  against  the  Remon- 
strants  153 

IX.  Incidents  connected  with  the  condemnation  of  the 

Remonstrant  tenets 160 

X.  The  doctrines  of  the  Synod  166 

XI.  The  Post-Acta  of  the  Synod 171 

XII.  The  adjournment  of  the  Synod 178 


PERIOD    OF  DANGER. 

I.  A  bird's-eye  view 187 

II.  The  new  philosophy  of  doubt 193 

III.  Erratic  hermeneutics 198 

IV.  Conservative  scholasticism 204 

V.  Bible-interpretation 208 

VI.  Church-factions 213 

Vlt.  Separatist  mysticism 219 

VIII.  Pantheistic  fatalism 226 

IX.  The  influence  of  spirit  on  matter  denied 232 

X.  Rationalism  applied  to  Christology 237 

XI.  The  state  of  the  Church  at  the  beginning  of  the 

eighteenth  century 242 


TRANSITIONAL    PERIOD. 

I.  Before  and  after  the  main  event 249 

II.  Internal  commotions 257 


CONTENTS.  9 

PAGE 

III.  Arrogance  of  the  State 264 

IV.  The  situation  just  before  the  revolution 270 

V.  The  State  divorced  from  the  Church 276 

VI.  The  Church  during  its  independence 282 

VII.  The  Church  and  the  kingdom 288 

VIII.  The  controversy  quia — quatenus 294 

IX.  The  churches  under  the  Cross 298 

X.  Conclusion 305 

The  Index 313 


FORMATIVE    PERIOD. 


Oi    Sia    niGrtGDS    TiotTiyyoovioavTO   fiaGiAeiaS. 


THE 

REFORMED  CHURCH  ix  the  NETHERLANDS. 


THE    PLAN    STATED. 


As  in  the  case  of  Palestine,  so  also  in  that  of  the 
Netherlands,  God  selected  a  land  insignificant  because 
of  its  diniinutiveness,  for  the  operations  of  His  provi- 
dence relating  to  His  church,  which  were  fraught  with 
the  utmost  conceivable  interest  to  the  entire  human 
race.  It  seemed  as  though  in  the  latter  it  was  to  appear 
still  more  plainly  than  in  the  former,  that,  in  respect 
to  the  unpromising  aspect  of  territorial  conditions,  God 
chooses  the  weak  things  of  the  world  to  confound  the 
mighty;  for  the  country  where  the  Reformed  Church 
had  its  birth,  was  not  even,  like  that  wherein  the  church 
which  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  founded  had  its  origin,  a 
land  abounding  in  sunlit  mountains  and  smiling  valleys, 
but  a  tract  wrested  from  the  ocean,  and,  at  the  cost  of  un- 
ceasing vigilance,  kept  from  falling  back  within  the  power 
of  its  remorseless  grasp. 

It  was  over  this  small  corner  of  Europe  that,  in  the 
middle  of  the  fourteenth  century,  the  cloud  of  ignorance, 
superstition  and  bigotry  cast  a  shadow  as  dark  as  that 
which  rested  upon  any  part  of  the  continent.  Cere- 
monies devoid  of   spirituality  had  taken  the   place  of 

2 


14    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

the  worship  of  God  in  spirit  and  in  truth.  Adoration, 
instead  of  being  directed  to  the  Triune  God  only,  had 
the  saints  for  its  object.  The  kingly  priesthood  of  all 
believers  in  Jesus  was  ignored.  Single  individuals  were 
deemed  to  be  specially  worthy  of  being  invested  with 
this  exalted  official  function — these,  with  distinctions 
among  themselves,  removed  at  a  graduated  distance 
from  each  other,  until  the  seat  was  reached  of  the  eccle- 
siastical monarch  who  was  enthroned  in  imperial  Eome. 
The  liberty  wherewith  Christ  makes  men  free  had  been 
crushed  under  the  yoke  of  a  soul-enthralling  bondage. 
The  essential  doctrine  of  justification  by  faith  had  been 
swept  away,  and  for  it  was  substituted  the  fiction  of  jus- 
tification by  works  and  that  of  supererogation.  Pardon 
of  sin  came  to  be  bought  and  sold  for  fixed  amounts  of 
money.  For  obedience  to  Christ  alone,  speaking  by 
His  Word  and  Spirit,  men  were  required  to  submit  to 
the  decrees  of  popes  and  councils.  And  who,  even  a 
century  later,  were  the  vicegerents  of  Christ,  to  whom 
the  nations  looked  up  and  whose  utterances  were  re- 
ceived as  the  utterances  of  the  Holy  Ghost?  Alexander 
VI.  (Borgia,  1492-1503)  who  shrank  not  from  the  com- 
mission of  the  gravest  crimes,  and  who  perished,  as  some 
report,  by  the  poison  that  he  had  prepared  for  another; 
Julius  II.  (1503-1513)  who  seemed  to  apply  himself  to 
the  military  aggrandizement  of  the  Italian  peninsula, 
rather  than  the  deliverance  of  the  souls  of  men  from 
the  usurped  dominion  of  the  devil;  Leo  X.  (1513-1521), 
a  lover  indeed  of  the  arts  and  sciences,  and  in  so  far,  less 
unworthy  than  his  immediate  predecessors  of  so  promi- 
nent a  position. 

The  time  for  the  Netherlands  to  emerge  from  beneath 
this  gloomy  pall,  to  arise  ecclesiastically,  in  the  form  of 
the  Protestant  Eeformed  Dutch  Church,  from  the  re- 


FOEMATIVE  PERIOD.  15 

ligious  and  moral  death  wherein  they  had  been  lying 
for  centuries,  had  come.  The  voices  that  had  sounded 
from  the  island  in  the  northwest  (Wickliffe,  1324- 
1384),  from  the  vine-clad  slopes  in  the  southwest  (Ber- 
nard of  Clairvaux,  1091-1153)  and  from  the  east  (Huss, 
1369-1415),  had  found  an  echo  in  the  breasts  of  certain 
individuals  in  the  Netherlands;  and,  acquiring  new 
powers  of  resonance,  were  prolonged,  until  at  last  the 
sounds  of  the  pure  gospel  of  Jesus  were  heard  in  the 
cities  and  villages  and  the  open  country,  with  no  earthly 
power  capable  of  interfering,  either  with  those  who 
uttered  them  or  with  those  who  received  them  into  re- 
joicing ears. 

'The  formative  period  of  the  Reformed  Church,  cover- 
ing about  two  centuries  and  a  half — from  1340,  when 
Gerhard  Groote  was  born,  to  1618,  when  the  great 
Synod  of  Dordrecht  met  and  the  formative  period 
merged  into  that  which  may  be  characterized  as  the  de- 
fensive— is  one  of  the  most  intensely  interesting  of  all 
history. 

In  the  attempt  to  secure  a  comprehensive  view  of  it 
at  a  single  glance,  it  is  well  to  fix  the  gaze  upon  the  sal- 
ient points  which  may  easily  be  retained  in  the  mind 
and  readily  recalled  with  all  their  attendants  of  person- 
ages and  circumstances. 

It  may  be  considered  in  three  parts:  The  Eeformed 
Church  prepared  for  (1340-1562);  consolidating  (1562- 
1568);  and  organized  and  established  (1568-1581).  The 
first  centres  upon  a  band  of  prominent  men;  the  second, 
upon  two  prominent  events;  the  third,  upon  the  forma- 
tion of  a  liturgy,  and  five  prominent  church  assemblies. 

The  men  concerning  whom  we  propose  to  give  brief 
biographical  sketches,  illustrative  of  the  preparation  for 
the  foundation  of  the  Reformed  Church,  are  Gerhard 


16    EEFOEMED   CHURCH   IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

Groote,  representing  the  influence  of  an  advanced  edu- 
cational system;  Gerard  Gerardsz,  representing  the  in- 
fluence of  learning  and  its  diffusion  by  means  of  the 
newly-invented  printing-press;  Pistorius,  representing 
the  influence  of  a  consecrated  martyrdom;  Angelus 
Merula,  representing  the  influence  of  a  reformatory  effort 
within  the  church;  and  Menno  Simons,  representing  the 
influence  of  a  bold  separatism. 

The  prominent  events  referred  to  are  the  adoption  of 
a  confession  of  faith  at  Antwerp  in  1566,  and  the  com- 
mission of  the  Duke  of  Alva  followed  by  a  fierce 
persecution. 

The  Synods  embraced  in  the  third  part,  are  those  of 
Wezel  (1568),  Embden  (1571),  the  provincial  (1574), 
and  the  national  (1577)  of  Dordrecht,  and  Middleburg 
(1581). 


FORMATIVE   PERIOD.  17 


II. 


THE    INFLUENCE    OF    AN    ADVANCED    EDUCATIONAL 
SYSTEM. 

In  the  fourteenth  century,  superstition  and  barbarism 
in  the  Church,  and  also  in  the  state,  since  correctness  in 
civil  things  disappears  when  religion  has  become  desti- 
tute of  spiritual  force,  were  at  their  height  and  had 
reached  the  proportions  wherein,  with  the  certainty  that 
characterizes  the  pendulum's  swing  between  opposite 
extreme  points,  a  reaction  had  become  inevitable.  The 
calamities  and  the  distress  of  the  times  had  become  in- 
describable. There  were  contentions  between  the  ponti- 
fical power  (Boniface  VIII.)  and  the  civil  power  (Philip 
the  Fair  of  France),  resulting  in  the  removal  of  the  seat 
of  Papal  government  from  Eome  to  Avignon  and  in 
what  is  called  the  Babylonish  captivity.  Subsequently, 
there  were  conflicts  between  ecclesiastical  factions,  each 
of  them  rallying  around  the  person  of  its  own  represent- 
ative, and  resulting  in  the  singular  and  anomalous  spec- 
tacle of  the  existence  at  the  same  time  of  two  pontiffs, 
each  one  claiming  to  be  the  true  Vicegerent  of  Christ 
on  earth.  What  but  perplexity  and  anxiety  could  come 
from  this  to  all  who  thought  that  without  subjection  to 
the  representative  of  Christ  they  could  not  be  saved? 
The  expenses  incurred  by  the  duplicate  papal  courts, 
each  organized  on  a  footing  of  great  extravagance,  were 
enormous.  As  sources  of  revenue,  titles  were  issued 
to  those  who  would  pay  for  them,  and  the  fears  of  the 


18    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

guilty,  who  were  willing  to  give  their  gold  that  the  sting 
might  be  taken  out  of  their  consciences,  were  allayed. 
The  under-clergy  who  did  not  throw  off  all  restraint  and 
live  in  open  profligacy,  occupied  themselves  with  the 
hair-splitting  dialectics  of  the  schoolmen.  Troops  of  idle 
mendicants  strolled  through  the  countries,  and  the  relig- 
ious orders  of  the  Francisicans  and  the  Dominicans,  in- 
stead of  uniting  in  the  effort  to  promote  the  spiritual 
interests  of  the  people,  quarreled  among  themselves  for 
the  supremacy. 

Among  the  people  it  was  starless  night.  Of  the  truths 
of  the  gospel  they  were  kept  in  entire  ignorance.  The 
desire  for  a  reformation  in  the  church,  in  capite  et  in 
membris,  became  a  reigning  passion  in  the  breasts  of  the 
few  whom  God  always  reserves  to  himself.  But  how 
was  it  to  be  effected?  As  sheep  which  the  shepherd  has 
forsaken  will  flock  the  closer  together  in  a  time  of 
apprehended  danger,  so  in  this  century  the  good  and  the 
honest  associated  themselves  for  mutual  profiting  in 
spiritual  things,  and  for  the  benefit  of  those  around  them 
whom  they  might  be  able  to  reach. 

The  central  figure  about  whom  such  spirits  in  the 
Netherlands  rallied,  and  who  became  the  founder  of  in- 
stitutions of  a  religious  educational  character  which  there 
and  in  other  lands  were  perpetuated  through  centuries, 
until  they  made  way,  among  Protestants,  for  a  better 
school,  and  among  Roman  Catholics,  for  those  of  a  Jesuit- 
ical order — was  Gerhard  Groote.  He  was  born  in  De- 
venter  in  1340,  of  very  respectable  parents.  The  family 
appears  to  have  been  possessed  of  wealth.  When  a  young 
man  he  secured  the  best  education  that  the  times  could 
afford,  and  in  Paris  and  Cologne  pursued  the  study  of  the 
sciences  and  of  theology  with  such  zeal  that  he  soon 
acquired  a  reputation  for  great  learning.     Returning  to 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  10 

his  native  land,  he  was  called  npon  to  occupy  positions 
of  honor  and  respectability. 

One  day  he  visited  a  Carthusian  convent  near  Arn- 
heim,  whose  superior  had  been  his  confessor  when  he 
was  in  Paris.  That  visit  was  the  means  of  changing  the 
entire  course  of  his  subsequent  life.  His  friend  con- 
versed with  him  most  earnestly  upon  the  vanity  of  all 
earthly  prosperity,  death,  eternity,  and  the  summum 
bonum,  with  the  effect  that  Groote  resigned  his  honors, 
relinquished  the  advantages  of  his  wealth,  took  up  his 
abode  within  the  convent,  and  applied  himself  to  the 
reading  of  the  Scripture  and  to  meditation.  After  a 
certain  time,  receiving  permission  from  the  powerful 
bishop  of  Utrecht,  he  began  to  address  the  people  upon 
religious  topics,  in  their  native  language,  at  Deventer, 
Zwol,  Kampen,  Utrecht,  Leyden,  Delft,  Gouda,  Amster- 
dam, and  so  successfully  that  crowds  thronged  to  hear 
him.  The  thoughts  thrown  out  by  him  and  his  suces- 
sors  were  such  as  these: 

Many  listen  to  the  mass  who  are  in  mortal  sin;  for 
them  the  mass  availeth  not.  One  must  pray  from  the 
heart,  with  the  mouth,  and  by  his  works.  When  our 
conduct  harmonizes  with  our  thoughts  and  our  words, 
a  sweet  melody  sounds  in  the  ears  of  God.  I  would  rather 
have  you  turn  the  heart  toward  God  for  two  minutes, 
than  to  spend  an  entire  day  in  thoughtless  reading.  If 
hell  be  our  desert,  it  will  be  a  worse  place  for  us  than  for 
Jews  or  heathen.  He  who  dies  in  his  sins  perishes, 
though  the  Virgin  and  all  the  saints  interceded  for  him. 
The  nobility  which  is  of  the  birth  and  after  the  flesh 
only,  is  of  no  account  in  the  esteem  of  God.  To  him 
who  obeys,  eternal  life  can  be  promised,  without  purga- 
tory. A  sister  obedient  and  docile,  though  poor,  is  to 
be  preferred  to  one  who  is  rich,  though  destitute  of  these 


20    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

graces.  When  the  simplest  person  who  on  earth  lives 
virtuously  shall  come  to  see  God,  he  shall  be  wiser  than 
all  the  learned  of  this  world.  "Would  we  therefore  be 
wise  hereafter,  let  us  learn  to  be  obedient. 

As  he  fearlessly  exposed  the  evil  of  the  times,  he  made 
many  enemies,  and  consequently  permission  to  preach 
was  withdrawn.  Recognizing  the  authority  of  the 
Church  in  such  matters,  he  submitted,  but  his  influence 
for  good  ceased  not  to  be  exerted.  He  gathered  around 
him  a  band  of  young  men  to  whom  he  gave  instruction 
in  private,  and  whom  he  put  in  the  way  of  earning 
a  competence  by  transcribing  the  sacred  books,  which 
in  these  days  included  not  only  inspired  Scripture,  but 
also  the  writings  of  the  Fathers.  Among  these  young 
men  was  the  afterward  celebrated  Florentius  Eadewynsz. 
One  day  the  latter  addressed  Groote: 

"  Dear  master,  what  harm  if  my  fellow-clerks  and  I 
put  our  earnings  together  and  live  in  common?" 

"In  common?"  was  the  reply, "but  the  mendicants 
will  not  allow  this.  They  will  certainly  oppose  it  with 
all  their  might." 

"But,  master,  suppose  we  try  it.  Perhaps  God  will 
give  his  blessing  upon  it." 

"  Well,  then,"  Groote  answered,  "  in  his  name  make 
the  trial.     I  shall  defend  you  against  every  assailant." 

And  this  was  the  starting-point  of  the  Institution  of 
the  Brethren  of  the  Common  Life,  an  agency  pro- 
ductive for  years  of  an  incalculable  amount  of  good,  both 
to  the  membership  and  to  the  people  of  the  places 
where  the  Brotherhood  became  established,  in  the  ef- 
forts that  were  put  forth  to  instruct  and  enlighten  every 
one  who  could  be  reached.  From  the  tree  thus  planted 
in  the  Netherlands,  was  gathered  such  fruit  as  Thomas 
a  Kempis,  the  author  of  the  inimitable  "  Imitation  of 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  21 

Christ;"  Zerbolt,  who  so  nobly  argued  for  the  translation 
of  the  Bible  and  devotional  books  into  the  vernacular; 
Wessel  Gansvort,  and  Erasmus. 

"  The  root  of  your  study,"  said  Groote  to  the  mem- 
bers of  his  fraternity,"  and  the  mirror  of  your  lives, 
should  be  the  Gospel,  which  sets  before  us  the  Life  of 
Christ;  then,  the  biographies  and  the  sayings  of  the 
Fathers;  then,  the  epistles  of  Paul  and  the  histories  of 
the  Apostles;  and  finally,  the  writings  of  Bernard,  An- 
sel m,  Augustine  and  others."  The  great  design  of  Groote 
was  to  join  education  to  religion,  or  rather,  to  make  edu- 
cation prepare  the  way  for  religion.  The  schools  which 
Charlemagne,  and  his  son,  the  Emperor  Lewis,  had  or- 
dered the  chapters  and  the  monks  to  establish  through- 
out the  empire,  and  which,  in  the  case  of  the  chaffers, 
were  held  outside  of  their  cathedrals,  and  in  that  of  the 
monks,  within  the  convent  walls,  had,  through  the  ig- 
norance and  the  carelessness  of  their  teachers,  fallen  into 
decay.  Groote  regretted  this,  and  he  applied  himself  to 
their  restoration.  He  was  so  efficient  in  this  that  soon 
numerous  young  men  flocked  to  Deventer,  and  schools 
were  established  also  at  Zwol,  Groningen,  Amersfort, 
Utrecht,  Ghent,  Brussels  and  Antwerp.  These  schools 
took  a  strong  hold  upon  the  affections  of  the  people  of 
the  Netherlands.  They  manifested  their  interest  in 
them  by  opening  their  homes  for  the  accommodation  of 
the  young  students — in  some  instances  eight  or  ten 
young  men  being  received  into  one  family  and  provided 
with  board  and  lodging  free  of  charge.  Even  mechanics, 
dependent  for  the  support  of  themselves  and  their  fam- 
ilies upon  daily  labor,  hesitated  not  to  vacate  one  room 
in  the  house  for  the  benefit  of  a  scholar.  Thus  early 
was  the  importance  of  religious  culture  to  intelligent 
piety  recognized. 


22    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

As  thus  contributing  toward  the  Reformation  in  the 
Netherlands  together  with  a  reaction  from  the  prevalent 
corruption,  Gerhard  Groote  may  well  be  regarded  as  a 
stone  in  the  foundation  walls  upon  which  it  pleased  God, 
two  centuries  later,  to  erect  the  temple  of  the  Protest- 
ant Dutch  Reformed  Church.  This  noble  man  went  to 
his  rest  in  1384,  in  the  forty-fifth  year  of  his  age. 


FORMATIVE   PERIOD.  23 


■    III. 
THE   IXFLUEXCE   OF  THE   DIFFUSION"   OF   LEARXIXG. 

The  fifteenth  century  is  a  very  remarkable  one  be- 
cause of  a  number  of  events  that  occurred  in  the  course 
of  it,  so  important  each  of  them  as  to  be  worthy  of  a 
special  notice.  They  were,  as  we  now  see  them  to  have 
been,  full  of  promise  as  regards  the  promotion  of  the 
best  interests  of  man,  for  the  reason  that  they  are  more 
or  less  closely  related  to  the  restoration  of  the  purity  of 
the  faith,  and  to  the  extension  of  the  kingdom  of  God 
into  a  hitherto  unknown  portion  of  the  globe. 

During  that  century  the  art  of  printing  was  invented 
(1423);  Constantinople  was  captured  by  the  Turks  and 
the  scholars  who  had  been  collected  within  its  walls  were 
scattered  over  Europe  (1453);  Luther  was  born  (1483); 
America  was  discovered  (1492);  and  a  path  eastward  was 
traced  around  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  (1498). 

The  value  of  the  first-mentioned  of  these  events — the 
invention  of  the  art  of  printing  by  a  native  of  the  Neth- 
erlands— is  perceived  to  be  great  indeed,  as  it  is  meas- 
ured by  the  importance  of  another  event  that  took  place 
within  the  bounds  of  that  same  favored  land,  in  the 
birth  of  the  man  who,  while  the  art  of  printing  was  still 
in  its  infancy,  consecrated  it  by  making  it  subservient 
to  the  issue  of  a  new  edition  of  the  Greek  Xew  Testa- 
ment, which  he  also  translated  into  pure  Latin  and  en- 
riched with  learned  annotations. 

One  day  in  the  year  1423  a  citizen  of  Haarlem,  John 


24    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

Laurens  Koster,  then  fifty-three  years  old,  sat  down  to 
rest  in  the  woods  near  his  native  city.  He  amused  him- 
self by  cutting  with  his  pen-knife,  from  the  bark  of  a 
tree,  the  letters  of  the  alphabet.  He  thought  he  would 
take  them  home  to  his  children  and  wrapped  them  in  a 
piece  of  paper.  When  he  had  returned  to  his  family  he 
undid  the  package,  and  behold,  the  sap  in  the  green 
bark  had  been  the  means  of  transferring  to  the  paper 
the  form  of  the  letter  that  had  been  next  to  it.  This 
was  the  origin  of  that  tremendous  power  for  good  or  for 
evil  by  which,  ever  since  the  time  that  it  was  brought 
into  existence,  the  world  has  been  swayed.  Immediately 
it  began  to  make  its  influence  felt.  The  sacred  books 
which  hitherto  had  been  transcribed  by  hand  at  a  great 
expenditure  of  time  and  labor,  now  could  be  multiplied 
at  a  very  small  proportion  of  either,  and  could  be  ob- 
tained, consequently,  at  a  greatly  diminished  cost.  To 
be  sure,  avarice  attempted  to  neutralize  that  effect,  in 
that,  the  type  being  molded  after  the  form  of  letters  in 
use  by  amanuenses,  there  appeared  so  little  difference 
between  a  printed  book  and  a  written  one,  that  the  for- 
mer was  sold  at  Paris  to  an  unskilled  person  for  sixty 
crowns,  which  was  the  price  of  the  latter;  but  the  decep- 
tion soon  came  to  be  exposed  and  could  no  more  avail 
those  who  were  disposed  to  practice  it.  Great  were  the 
facilities  which  then  were  furnished  for  the  dissemina- 
tion of  the  results  of  the  labors  of  the  scholars  who  had 
been  confined  to  the  East,  but  who,  driven  thence  be- 
fore the  victorious  banner  of  Mahomet  II.,  now  pursued 
their  study  of  the  Greek  and  Eoman  classics  in  the  Euro- 
pean cities  where  they  had  found  a  refuge,  and,  with 
the  aid  of  the  printing-press,  laid  the  gems  of  ancient 
literature  before  every  one  whom  inclination,  wealth 
and  leisure  enabled  to  employ  this  means  of  mental  cult- 


FORMATIVE   PERIOD.  25 

nre.  Singularly  enough,  too,  this  very  invention,  in- 
comparable for  the  issues  dependent  upon  it,  helped,  by 
the  very  brightness  of  the  light  which  it  cast,  to  increase 
the  moral  darkness  prevalent  in  the  church;  but,  for 
that  reason,  too,  subserving  the  interests  of  the  Reforma- 
tion by  intensifying  a  desire  for  it.  Idleness  is  the 
mother  of  wickedness,  and  the  men  who  formerly  were 
kept  busy  in  the  copying  of  the  Scripture  and  of  the 
writings  of  the  Fathers,  having  had  their  occupation 
taken  from  them,  had  time  given  them,  to  waste  in  the 
gratification  of  the  base  appetites  of  the  flesh,  and  to 
pervert  in  occupations  altogether  foreign  to  the  great 
interest  to  which  they  had  consecrated  their  lives. 

It  may  readily  be  perceived,  if  a  man  of  great  learning 
and  favorable  to  the  Reformation  were  to  arise  in  the 
Netherlands,  how  strong  the  bearing  would  be  upon  his 
influence  of  Koster's  happy  thought.  Such  a  man  did 
arise.  He  was  the  man  whom  few  know  by  the  humble 
name  of  Gerard  Gerardsz,  but  who,  as  Desiderius  Eras- 
mus, is  of  an  immortal  and  world-wide  reputation. 
When  Thomas  a  Kempiswas  an  old  man  of  eighty-seven; 
when  Wessel  Gansvort  and  Agricola  were  in  the  prime 
of  manhood,  the  one  in  his  forty-eighth  year  and  the 
other  in  his  thirty-eighth;  when  sixteen  years  more  were 
to  elapse  before  Luther  should  come,  Erasmus  was  born 
in  Rotterdam,  on  Oct.  28,  1467.  A  claim  for  the  honor 
of  his  birth  has  been  made  by  Gouda,  but  it  has  not 
been  substantiated.  Beza  said  of  him  that  the  world 
has  not  contained  another  such  a  great  man.  His  ear- 
liest education  he  received  at  the  schools  of  Gouda  and 
Utrecht.  In  his  eleventh  year  he  was  sent  to  the  cele- 
brated school  which  Groote  had  established  in  Deventer. 
Here  he  made  such  progress  that  Agricola,  on  the  occa- 
sion of  a  visit  to  the  school,  predicted  his  future  great 
3 


26    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

ness.  After  a  stay  there  of  two  years  lie  went  to  Herto- 
genbosch,  where  he  remained  for  the  same  length  of 
time.  When  he  was  in  that  school  the  attempt  was 
made  to  induce  him  to  assnme  the  vows  of  monasticism, 
but  it  failed  since  he  strenuously  resisted  every  proposi- 
tion of  the  kind.  His  next  retreat  was  a  convent  near 
Arnheim  which  was  known  by  the  Scriptural  name  of 
Emmaus.  Here  he  accumulated  knowledge  to  the  de- 
gree that  his  reputation  for  learning  became  continental. 
The  Bishop  of  Kameryk  engaged  him  to  act  as  his  secre- 
tary during  a  visit  to  Rome  for  the  transaction  of  impor- 
tant business.  The  project,  however,  was  not  carried 
out,  and  Erasmus,  being  released,  went  to  Paris  and 
other  university  cities.  He  wrote  numerous  erudite 
works,  among  which  the  above-mentioned  edition  of  the 
New  Testament,  printed  at  Basle  in  1516,  and  his  far- 
famed  "  Praise  of  Folly,"  are  the  most  noted. 

In  regard  to  his  relation  to  the  Reformation  there  are 
differing  opinions.  Some  go  so  far  as  to  say  that  he  was 
at  the  foundation  of  the  Reformation;  that  Luther 
worked  after  the  plan  furnished  by  him;  that  he  was 
the  flame  at  which  the  great  German  reformer  afterward 
kindled  his  torch;  that  he  was  the  Moses  to  the  Lutheran 
Joshua;  and  that  the  correctness  of  these  opinions  has 
its  witness  in  the  fact  that  the  first  Reformers  in  the 
Netherlands  were  not  called  Lutherans,  but  Erasmians. 
Hugo  Grotius  speaks  of  him  in  the  highest  commenda- 
tory terms  as  the  first  and  the  greatest  of  the  Reformers, 
and  ends  an  elegant  Latin  panegyric,  of  which  he  is  the 
subject,  with  the  lines: 

"  When  I  perceive  how  death  cuts  down  the  gods  among  us  here, 
The  rustling  of  a  leaf's  enough  to  fill  my  soul  with  fear." 

It  must  be  admitted  with  Ypey  and  Permout,  that  he 


FORMATIVE   PERIOD.  27 

exerted  an  influence  in  behalf  of  the  Reformation  in  that, 
casting  light  upon  the  literature  of  the  ancients,  he 
awakened  a  keen  appreciation  of  the  beautiful ;  in  that, 
casting  light  upon  the  several  departments  of  theologi- 
cal science,  he  awakened  a  strong  love  for  the  true,  which 
he  had  discovered  under  the  false  by  which  it  had  come 
to  be  obscured  and  rendered  imperceptible;  and  in  that, 
casting  light  upon  the  hidden  ways  of  wickedness 
wherein  many  ecclesiastics  walked,  he  awakened  an  ear- 
nest desire  after  the  good  in  thought  and  conduct.  Van 
Prinsterer  admits  that  he  forged  weapons  for  the  re- 
formers and  removed  many  an  obstacle  that  lay  in  their 
path,  but  denies  that  he  was  a  reformer  in  the  evangeli- 
cal sense  of  the  word.  He  says  that  Erasmus  had  no  true 
insight  into  the  substance  of  the  errors  that  had  crept 
into  the  church,  and  that  he  zealously  maintained,  even 
against  Luther,  such  a  freedom  of  the  human  will  as  is 
inconsistent  with  justification  through  faith  alone.  He 
lacked  the  courage  which,  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  has 
no  regard  to  danger.  He  desired  peace  even  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  truth.  When  oppression  and  persecution 
for  the  Gospel's  sake  appeared,  he  was  offended  and  im- 
mediately withdrew.  He  loved  the  honor  that  comes 
from  men  more  than  that  which  comes  from  God.  He 
said,  "Let  others  seek  martyrdom;  as  for  me  I  am  un- 
worthy of  it."  He  seemed  to  have  forgotten  that  the 
Lord  said,  He  that  loveth  his  life  more  than  Me  is  not 
worthy  of  Me. 

A  middle  position  between  the  two  extreme  opinions 
of  the  merits  of  Erasmus  as  an  ante-reformer,  is  probably 
the  correct  one.  His  influence  as  a  learned  man  who 
applied  his  immense  erudition  to  a  better  interpretation 
of  the  Scripture,  was  very  great.  That  influence  God 
doubtless  designed  to  use  as  a  preparation  for  the  Refor- 


28    REFORMED   CHURCH  IK  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

mation  when  He  gave  to  men  the  art  of  multiplying  the 
results  of  learning,  just  before  he  brought  Erasmus  upon 
the  scene.  Gerardsz  died  in  Rotterdam  m  1536,  of  dys- 
entery, in  the  full  use,  to  the  last,  of  his  mighty  intel- 
lect, and  wholly  trusting  in  the  infinite  mercy  of  God  in 
Christ.  A  statue  of  the  great  man  is  one  of  the  orna- 
ments of  his  native  city. 


FORMATIVE   PERIOD.  29 


IV. 

THE   INFLUENCE   OF   A   CONSECRATED   MARTYRDOM. 

When  the  first  quarter  of  the  sixteenth  century  had 
come  to  an  end,  the  Eeformation  was  making  great 
progress.  Eight  years  before  (1517),  Luther  had  nailed 
his  ninety-five  theses  against  the  door  of  the  church  at 
Wittemberg.  Melancthon,  Luther's  friend  and  fellow- 
soldier,  was  twenty-eight  years  old,  and,  with  the  cunning 
of  the  serpent  and  gentleness  of  the  dove,  was  furthering 
the  cause  of  the  gospel.  Zwingle,  thirteen  years  older 
than  Melancthon,  was  sounding  the  trumpet  in  the  land 
of  snow-capped  mountains,  Switzerland;  and  Calvin  was 
a  youth  of  sixteen  in  France,  preparing  himself  uncon- 
sciously for  the  great  work  which  God  was  about  to 
commit  to  his  hands.  It  was  not  possible  that  the 
leaven,  which  was  thus  working  among  the  nations, 
should  not  influence  also  the  people  among  whom  Ger- 
hard Groote,  Gansvort,  Zerbolt  and  Agricola  had  taught, 
and  Erasmus  still  was  a  shining  light. 

If  the  hierarchy  had  met  in  solemn  conclave  for  the 
purpose  of  devising  means  by  the  use  of  which  the  leaven 
was  to  be  made  still  more  efficient  to  pervade  the  entire 
mass  of  the  people,  it  could  not  have  adopted  an  agency 
better  calculated  to  produce  this  result  than  the  erection 
of  the  stake  and  the  sacrifice,  in  the  fiery  flames  kindled 
around  it,  of  the  proto-martyr  Pistorius.  He  perished 
as  to  his  poor,  weak  body,  but  his  cause  acquired  greater 
strength  from  this  injudicious  attempt  to  overthrow  it. 


30  REFORMED  CHURCH  IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

It  is  the  lesson  which  all  history  teaches  and  shall  con- 
tinue to  teach,  until  the  stream  of  events,  for  which  God 
has  marked  out  its  proper  course,  shall  no  more  burst 
beyond  its  banks  in  destructive  inundations  because  all 
efforts  to  dam  up  its  waters  have  ceased. 

John  De  Bakker,  or,  John  Van  Woerden,  whose 
name,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  times,  was  changed 
into  the  much  more  euphonious  one  of  Pistorius,  was 
born  in  Woerden,  in  1499.  His  father  held  the  humble 
position  of  sexton  to  the  church  in  that  city,  but  still 
seems  to  have  been  a  man  of  some  consequence,  since  he 
is  reputed  to  have  been  the  friend  of  Erasmus.  He 
early  designed  his  son  for  the  priesthood,  and  sent  him 
to  the  school  of  Utrecht  of  which  JoTm  Khodius  was 
rector.  Rhodius  was  a  diligent  student  of  the  New 
Testament,  and  aided  in  the  translation  of  it  into  the 
Dutch,  which  was  published  in  Amsterdam  in  1525. 
As  the  father  of  Pistorius  suspected  the  rector  of  hold- 
ing Lutheran  views,  he  removed  his  son  from  Utrecht 
and  sent  him  to  Louvain.  Having  finished  his  prepara- 
tory studies,  the  young  man,  then  twenty-three  years 
old,  was  ordained  to  the  priesthood  in  Utrecht.  In 
submitting  to  this  ordination,  he  rather  pleased  his  father 
than  himself.  His  ministry  commenced  in  his  native 
city.  As  he  was  thought  to  depart  in  his  pulpit  services 
from  the  teachings  of  the  Church,  he  was  summoned  to 
Utrecht,  but,  fearful  of  the  result,  he  refused  to  go,  and, 
upon  complaint  of  the  authorities  of  Utrecht  to  the  court 
of  Holland,  was  arrested  by  the  commandant  of  the 
fortress  of  Woerden  and  cast  into  the*  prison.  The 
citizens  of  Woerden,  however,  regarded  this  arrest  as  an 
unwarrantable  encroachment  upon  their  privileges,  and 
loudly  protested.  The  consequence  was  that  Pistorius 
was  set  at  liberty,  upon  the  pretext  that  a  contagious 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  3l 

disease  had  broken  out  among  the  prisoners.  He  then 
went  to  Wittemberg,  the  head-quarters  of  the  German 
reformation,  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  and  hearing 
Luther. 

Upon  his  return  after  three  months,  he  was  a  second 
time  summoned  to  Utrecht,  and  was  ordered  to  go  to 
Home  and  to  remain  there  three  years.  In  the  con- 
viction that  obedience  to  this  command  would  not 
result  in  producing  an  alteration  in  his  opinions  of  the 
doctrines  and  the  practices  of  the  Church,  and  dreading 
the  effects  of  his  contumacy,  since  an  order  for  his  arrest 
had  again  been  issued  from  Utrecht,  he  went  for  greater 
safety  to  the  province  of  Holland.  Deeming  himself 
now  wholly  released  from  his  priestly  vows,  and  his 
official  connection  with  the  Church  to  have  been  sun- 
dered, he  established  himself  in  AVoerden  as  a  private 
citizen,  married,  and  earned  his  subsistence  by  working 
at  the  trade  of  a  baker,  or  as  a  laborer  on  a  farm.  Dur- 
ing the  evenings  he  privately  taught  the  truths  of  the 
gospel  to  his  neighbors  in  their  homes.  He  might  have 
gone  on  thus  to  the  end  of  his  life,  were  it  not  that  the 
visit  to  Woerden  of  one  who  offered  indulgences  to  the 
people,  kindled  his  zeal  anew.  He  again  entered  the 
confessional  and  there  labored  to  implant  in  all  who 
came  to  him,  the  principles  of  a  true  Christian  religion, 
according  to  which  absolution  was  not  a  matter  of  sale 
and  purchase;  and  to  strengthen  the  weak  and  disturbed 
consciences  of  men  with  the  gospel  of  Christ.  The 
regular  priest  then  laid  charges  against  him  before  the 
magistrates  of  the  city,  but  not  so  persistently  that  these 
felt  impelled  to  take  any  action  upon  them.  In  the 
event  of  this  priest's  decease,  which  occurred  soon  after, 
his  successor,  not  so  leniently  disposed,  pursued  the 
matter  and  secured  a  summons  to  Pistorius  to  appear 


32    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

for  examination.  In  answer  to  inquiries  concerning  his 
views  in  regard  to  the  papacy,  purgatory  and  the  say- 
ings of  the  Fathers,  he  replied  that  in  vain  is  God  wor- 
shipped by  means  of  human  institutions.  In  reference 
to  his  marriage  he  expressed  a  desire  to  be  heard  before 
a  larger  and  a  more  learned  court.  The  result  of  this 
proceeding  not  proving  satisfactory  to  the  complainant, 
he  forwarded  an  accusation  against  Pistorius  to  the  re- 
gent, Margaret  of  Austria,  by  whose  orders  the  latter  was 
seized  and  conveyed  to  the  Hague.  Here  his  imprison- 
ment was  shared  by  others  who  were  suspected  of  hav- 
ing adopted  the  opinions  of  Luther  or  Zwingle.  They 
were  Bernard,  a  Carmelite  monk,  who  afterward  suf- 
fered martyrdom;  Sartor,  the  rector  of  the  Latin  school 
at  Noordwyk;  Nannius,  the  rector  of  the  Latin  school 
at  Alkmaar;  Fredericks,  a  scholar  of  Naarden;  Hoon,  a 
lawyer  of  Holland,  and  Gnaphaeus,  the  rector  of  the 
Latin  school  at  the  Hague.  The  last  mentioned  lived 
to  publish  a  full  account  of  the  examination  of  Pistorius. 
Three  professors  of  the  University  of  Louvain  were 
appointed  to  confer  with  Pistorius.  They  were  Van 
Bergen,  Rosemond  and  Tapper.  This  number  was  af- 
terward increased  by  five  more  men,  dignitaries  in  the 
Church  and  in  the  State.  They  conjointly  labored  hard 
to  bring  Pistorius  to  a  change  of  views.  At  the  last 
even  the  aged  father  of  the  prisoner  was  introduced  into 
the  dungeon,  but  without  avail,  the  patriarch  rather 
encouraging  his  son,  and  saying  that,  like  Abraham  of 
old,  he  was  prepared  to  give  him  up,  thus  giving  evi- 
dence to  a  state  of  mind  different  from  that  only  a  few 
years  before  when  he  feared  that  his  son  would  be  led 
astray  by  the  evangelical  tendency  of  Rhodius. 

The  examination  was  protracted  through  several  days. 
Pistorius  said  that  he  could  be  deceived  by  the  teachings 


Formative  period.  33 

of  men,  but  not  by  Holy  Scripture.  The  Church  of 
Christ  has  but  one  teacher  of  the  truth,  the  Heavenly 
Spirit,  who  proceedeth  from  the  Father.  Since  the 
Spirit  is  the  author  of  Holy  Scripture,  which,  according 
to  Peter,  is  not  of  private  interpretation,  it  is  not  sur- 
prising that  Christ  directs  us  to  it  for  our  faith,  saying, 
Search  the  Scriptures,  for  they  testify  of  me.  We  are 
commanded  to  listen  to  Christ  Himself,  since  the  Voice 
from  Heaven  says  to  us,  Hear  ye  Him.  Every  command- 
ment that  is  not  found  in  the  canonical  Scripture,  is 
powerless  to  bind  the  conscience.  For  the  right  to 
marry,  Pistorius  appealed  to  the  Word  of  God.  When 
Tapper  offered  him  the  privilege  of  the  confessional,  he 
accepted  it.  He  confessed  that  in  the  sight  of  God  he 
was  a  depraved  sinner,  who  could  not  stand  if  God  were 
to  enter  into  judgment  with  him,  but  that  he  based  his 
hope  upon  the  exceeding  and  precious  goodness  of  Him 
who  delivered  His  Son  for  us,  even  unto  death.  "  This 
faith  is  so  assuring  and  quieting  to  me,"  said  he,  "that 
it  is  easy  for  me  to  enter  into  the  shadows  of  death,  in 
the  full  expectation  of  a  better  lot,  for  which  we  look 
when  we  shall  have  departed  from  this  life.  May  God 
strengthen  me  in  this  faith,  and  to  Him  be  the  praise 
forever,  Amen." 

Tapper  demanding  a  detailed  statement  of  his  sins, 
did  not  approve  of  this  confession.  Pistorius  was  then 
condemned  to  death.  History  preserves  a  graphic  ac- 
count of  the  last  scene. 

On  September  15,  1525,  a  platform  might  have  been 
seen  in  front  of  the  Prince's  palace,  at  the  Hague.  Upon 
it,  in  the  centre,  was  a  pulpit.  In  a  semi-circle  around 
the  pulpit  were  several  chairs,  upholstered  in  red.  They 
were  occupied  by  Eidderus,  Bishop  of  Hebron  and 
consecrating  Bishop   of  Utrecht;  several  ecclesiastics; 


34    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

the  earl  of  Hoogstraten,  Stadtholder  of  Holland;  a  num- 
ber of  counsellors  of  the  imperial  court  at  the  Hague, 
and  three  theologians  from  the  University  of  Louvain. 
One  of  the  ecclesiastics  entered  the  pulpit.  He  ad- 
dressed the  august  assembly  before  him,  and  a  countless 
throng  around  the  platform,  from  the  text  in  Acts  iii. 
19,  (S  Repent  ye  therefore  and  be  converted,  that  your 
sins  may  be  blotted  out,  when  the  times  of  refreshing 
shall  come  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord/'  As  in  that 
discourse  the  preacher  attempted  to  show  that  Pistorius 
was  a  great  criminal,  the  latter,  at  the  end  of  it,  turned 
toward  the  people  and  protested.  He  was  silenced. 
Ridderus  approached  and  divested  him  of  his  priest's 
garments.  Pistorius  declared,  "  In  the  dress  of  a  citizen 
I  look  more  like  a  Christian  than  I  did  before."  A  yellow 
tunic  was  put  upon  his  person,  and  a  fool's  cap  placed 
on  his  head.  "  It  is  well,"  said  Pistorius,  "  in  this  array, 
I  share  in  the  mockery  that  was  heaped  upon  Christ." 
His  sentence  then  was  read  to  him  and  he  was  led  to  the 
stake.  On  the  way  thither  they  passed  the  prison. 
Pistorius  cried,  "  Very  dear  brothers,  I  stand  upon  the 
threshold  of  my  martyrdom.  Be  of  good  cheer.  As 
valiant  soldiers,  and  stimulated  by  my  example,  defend 
the  truth  of  the  gospel  against  all  detraction."  He  was 
answered  with  songs  of  praise.  As  they  were  binding 
him  to  the  stake,  he  exclaimed,  "  Death,  where  is  now 
thy  sting?  Grave,  where  is  now  thy  victory?  Death 
is  swallowed  up  in  victory  through  Christ."  He  then 
prayed  for  his  judges,  "  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they 
know  not  what  they  do."  His  last  words  were,  "  0  Lord 
Jesus,  Son  of  God,  remember  me;  have  mercy  on  me." 
Having  uttered  them  he  instantly  expired. 

The  blood  of  the  martyrs  is  the  seed  of  the  Church. 


FORMATIVE   PERIOD.  35 


V. 


THE  INFLUENCE  OF  A  REFORMATORY  EFFORT  WITHIN 
THE  CHURCH. 

In  the  city  of  Briel  is  an  orphan  asylum.  On  the  2Gth 
of  July,  every  year,  the  anniversary  of  the  death  of  the 
founder  is  kept  by  the  inmates  of  the  institution.  The 
meals  are  made  somewhat  more  elaborate  than  usual  by 
the  addition  of  dainties.  The  presiding  officer  speaks 
of  the  virtues  of  the  deceased  and  narrates  the  story  of 
his  sad  fate.  The  children  sing  appropriate  songs,  and 
among  them  one  which  we  venture  to  render  as  follows: 

"  Dear  friend  of  man!  our  grateful  songs  ascend 
To  heaven,  thy  blest  abode,  where  all  thy  sufferings  end. 
Where,  sanctified  by  faith,  thou  joinest  in  the  praise 
The  angels  give  to  God,  through  all  thy  happy  days. 
Despised  thou  wert  on  earth.     Here  thou  wert  trodden  down; 
But  there,  as  thy  reward,  thou  hast  a  shining  crown. 

"  O  Merula,  whose  thoughts  of  us  were  ever  sweet  and  kind, 
We  would,  in  following  thee,  the  path  of  virtue  find. 
In  every  thankful  heart  a  monument  we  raise 
To  thy  great  love  for  us,  deserving  of  all  praise. 
Of  Merula  we  sing.     To  him  lift  up  your  voice. 
Because  of  him,  to-day,  we're  happy  and  rejoice." 

Engle  Merle,  Latinized  Angelus  Merula,  whose  Chris- 
tian charity  is  thus  annually  commemorated,  was  born  in 
Briel  in  1482.  He  was  of  a  noble  family,  and  was  pos- 
sessed of  great  wealth,  a  considerable  portion  of  which 
he  devoted  to  the  erection  of  comfortable  dwellings  for 


36    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

the  poor  of  his  city  and  to  the  endowment  of  the  orphan- 
age which  he  had  founded.  At  the  University  of  Paris 
he  prepared  himself  for  the  priesthood,  and  he  was  or- 
dained in  Utrecht,  on  April  11,  1511,  when  he  was 
twenty-nine  years  of  age.  The  year  after,  he  received  a 
call  from  the  Lord  of  Kruningen  to  assume  the  pastorate 
of  the  church  at  Heenvliet,  a  large  and  important  village 
situated  within  that  nobleman's  domain.  Here  he  la- 
bored for  twenty-two  years,  making  himself  exceedingly 
beloved  to  the  people  to  whom  he  ministered.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  he  sought  to  obtain  his  release,  being 
actuated  by  the  desire  to  secure  in  a  restful  retirement 
preparation  for  his  approaching  decease.  He  was  released 
from  his  charge  and  prepared  for  death,  but  not  in  the 
way  that  he  had  anticipated.  His  Lord  and  Master  had 
another  way  for  him. 

Contemporary  with  the  influences  tending  toward  the 
Reformation,  that  have  already  been  spoken  of  in  former 
chapters,  was  that  of  a  reformatory  effort  within  the 
church.  The  number,  in  the  Netherlands,  of  scholars 
prominent  for  their  learning,  and  also  of  ecclesiastics 
who  agree  with  the  Reformers  of  Germany,  Switzerland 
and  France  in  the  opinion  that  there  is  nothing  author- 
itative in  the  teachings  and  institutions  which  are  of  a 
human  origin,  but  that  all  controlling  power  for  the 
heart  and  the  conscience  lies  in  the  gospel,  was  very  great 
indeed.  In  Friesland  alone  the  priests  of  more  than 
fifty  villages  were  deposed  by  the  Duke  of  Alva  and  ban- 
ished for  their  suspected  attachment  to  Luther.  A  monk 
of  the  convent  Thabor,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Sneek, 
in  that  province,  who  wrote  a  history  of  that  region,  says 
that  there  were  many  priests'  and  scholars  who  agreed 
with  Luther,  because  he  proved  his  points  so  clearly  by 
the  gospel  and  the  epistles  of  Paul  that  the  learned 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  37 

could  not  but  assent.  These  men  could  not  bear  the 
idea  of  seceding  from  the  church,  but,  realizing  that 
something  must  be  done  to  restore  the  truths  of  the  gos- 
pel which  were  fast  passing  out  of  sight  altogether,  and 
feeling  their  hearts  responding  to  the  efforts  of  Luther 
and  his  co-laborers,  they  endeavored  to  effect  within  the 
church  that  for  which  they  earnestly  longed.  It  was  the 
repetition  of  the  new  patch  on  the  old  garment,  of  the 
new  wine  in  the  old  bottles.  That  the  common  people 
were  in  a  state  of  mind,  in  respect  to  which  they  might 
look  for  encouragement  in  their  efforts,  has  its  illustra- 
tion, in  one  particular,  in  the  influence  exerted  by  what 
is  known  as  the  association  of  the  rhetoricians.  These 
clubs  were  formed  as  early  as  the  fourteenth  century. 
They  were  composed  of  learned  men,  ecclesiastics  at  first, 
but  afterward  laymen  principally.  Their  design  was 
the  study  of  poetry,  and  the  instruction  of  the  people  by 
means  of  spectacular  representations.  Subsequently, 
when  even  the  common  people  in  their  homes,  markets, 
shops,  and  fields,  were  discussing  theology,  religious 
topics  chiefly  were  dramatized.  From  the  Society  at 
Ghent  the  question  wrent  out,  What  contributes  most  to 
the  comfort  of  dying  man?  The  various  answers  re- 
turned, and  represented  to  the  people  by  means  of  im- 
personations, differed  considerably  from  the  teachings  of 
the  church  on  that  point,  and  show  not  only  why  King 
Philip  decreed  that  such  spectacles  could  only  be  given 
under  the  supervision  of  the  priest  of  the  place,  but  also, 
how  much  reason  the  reformers  within  the  church  had 
for  the  opinion  that  among  the  people  there  would  be  no 
lack  of  sympathy  with  their  utterances.  The  society  at 
Brussels  answered,  The  promises  of  the  gospel;  that  of 
Leftingen,  The  hope  of  the  mercy  of  Christ;  that  of 
Bruges,  Confidence  in  Christ  alone  according  to  the  gos- 
4 


38    REFORMED   CHURCH  IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

pel;  that  of  Nieuwkerk,  Belief  in  the  death  and  the  resur- 
rection of  Christ;  that  of  Antwerp,  Belief  in  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  body  in  the  last  day,  in  connection  with  faith 
in  the  passion,  death  and  resurrection  of  Jesus. 

The  reformers  who  in  the  Netherlands  attempted  the 
reformation  of  the  church,  within  the  church,  were  Syl- 
vius, Veluanus,  Merula,  and  later,  Duifhuis  (1531-1581). 
Among  these,  Merula  is  foremost  because  of  his  charac- 
ter, and  because  of  the  intensity  of  his  sufferings  pro- 
tracted through  five  years,  by  which  he  set  the  seal  to 
the  strength  of  his  convictions,  the  sincerity  of  his  pur- 
poses, and  the  disinterestedness  of  his  efforts.  He  was 
a  man  who,  because  of  his  excellent  reputation,  his  great 
learning,  his  astonishing  eloquence,  his  uncommon  piety 
and  his  inexhaustible  charity,  time  and  again  awakened 
the  sympathy  and  the  compassion  of  the  civil  authorities 
in  his  behalf,  so  that  in  consequence  of  it  the  ecclesias- 
tical power  occasionally  relaxed  in  the  rigor  of  its  pro- 
ceedings against  him.  Of  these  proceedings  which  ended 
finally  near,  not  at,  the  stake,  a  detailed  account  cannot 
be  given  because  of  the  length  of  the  history  which  yet 
is  of  very  great  interest.  Merula  was  arraigned  upon  a 
charge  of  heresy  "based  upon  certain  alterations  which  he 
had  made  in  the  Mass-book;  upon  a  number  of  memo- 
randa found  written  upon  his  copy  of  the  Interim,  which 
Charles  V.  had  ordered  to  be  composed  for  the  purpose 
of  reconciling  the  then  growing  differences  between 
Protestants  and  Eoman  Catholics;  and  upon  the  testi- 
mony of  some  of  his  parishioners.  The  alteration  in  the 
Mass-book  was  of  this  kind:  In  the  sentence  "Omnipo- 
tens  sempiterne  Deus  qui  nos  omnium  Sanctorum  merita 
sub  una  tribuisti  celebritate  venerari  qusesumus,  ut  de- 
sideratam  nobis  tuse  propitiationis  abundantiam,  multi- 
plicatis    intercessoribus,  largiaris,"  he  substituted  the 


FOKMATIVE  PEEIOD.  39 

word  gloria,  for  the  word  merita;  and,  for  multiplicatis 
intercessoribus,  he  wrote,  solius  unigeniti  tui,  qui  om- 
nium sanctorum  est  gloria,  intercessione  (by  the  advo- 
cacy of  Thy  only  begotten  Son,  who  is  the  glory  of  all 
the  Saints).  The  memoranda  on  the  pages  of  the  In- 
terim related  to  the  intercession  of  the  Virgin,  the  justi- 
fying merits  of  good  works,  the  doctrine  of  transubstan- 
tiation,  and  the  claims  of  the  Pope.  His  prosecutors 
were  the  inquisitors  Sonnius  and  Tapper.  He  was  ar- 
rested in  1553,  when  he  was  engaged  in  his  study  in  the 
composition  of  a  sermon  on  the  Good  Shepherd,  John 
x.  On  June  7  he  was  removed  to  the  Hague.  At 
his  trial  there  he  was  forced  to  reply  categorically,  "  I 
believe,"  or  "I  do  not  believe,"  to  108  articles  gathered 
from  his  writings.  He  declared  that  he  was  not  con- 
scious of  having  strayed  from  the  church;  nay,  on  the 
contrary,  he  had  always  remained  in  it  and  he  expected 
to  continue  in  it.  As  to  his  notes  on  the  Interim,  he  had 
never  mentioned  them  in  public,  nor  had  he  made  them 
the  topics  of  discussion.  With  other  theologians  he  had 
been  summoned  by  their  superiors  to  come  to  Utrecht 
for  the  purpose  of  examining  the  articles  of  the  Interim. 
Compelled  by  sickness  to  remain  at  borne,  he  had  made 
some  notes  in  regard  to  which  he  had  never  made  any 
disturbance.  They  were  for  his  own  use  only.  He 
thought  that  the  councils  of  Pisa,  Vincentia,  and  that 
being  held  at  Trent  (1546-1563),  allowed  the  members  to 
annotate  the  points  in  regard  to  which  there  might  be 
discussions.  Such  notes  as  these  the  inquisitors  had 
taken,  and  on  the  ground  of  them  charged  him  with 
heresy. 

When  it  was  rumored  that  he  was  about  to  be  sen- 
tenced, great  crowds  of  people  came  from  all  parts  of  the 
land,  crying,  We  have  been  deprived  of  our  father,  advo- 


40    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

cate,  provider,  only  comfort  and  helper  in  our  poverty 
and  adversity.  The  people  were  very  much  excited. 
Many  were  armed  and  stones  were  at  hand  for  all.  Mat- 
ters assumed  a  very  serious  aspect.  The  magistrates  felt 
that  their  lives  were  threatened,  and  they  trembled  for 
the  safety  of  the  city.  But  the  danger  was  averted  by  a 
means  against  the  use  of  which  by  Hollanders,  and  these, 
Christians,  and  these,  ecclesiastics,  the  historian  Brand 
strongly  protests.  He  was  told  with  much  earnestness 
and  show  of  feeling  that  very  many  lives  depended  upon 
the  course  which  he  should  adopt.  He  was  asked  to 
assent,  for  the  sake  of  restoring  quiet,  to  the  statement 
that,  as  he  differed  from  the  customs  and  usages  of  the 
church  which  were  of  an  indifferent  nature,  he  admitted 
that  he  had  proceeded  somewhat  too  hastily  in  the  effort 
to  correct  them.  Merula  turned  toward  the  president 
of  the  council  and  said,  What  shall  I  do?  The  answer 
was,  Ask  your  conscience,  and  not  any  outside  person. 
Merula,  on  account  of  deafness  not  understanding  what 
was  said,  but,  presuming  that  he  was  advised  to  do  as- 
was  required,  replied  that  he  assented.  He  was  imme- 
diately led  out  into  the  presence  of  the  crowd.  A  docu- 
ment was  rapidly  read  in  which  it  was  stated  that  the 
prisoner  adjured  all  Lutheran  heresies  and  submitted  to 
the  church.  The  tone  of  the  people  instantly  changed 
from  pity  to  anger  and  imprecation.  The  sentence  was 
then  pronounced.  Merula's  books  were  to  be  burned, 
he  himself  was  to  be  imprisoned  for  life,  and  he  was  con- 
demned to  pay  the  costs  of  his  arrest,  imprisonment  and 
trial.  When  he  was  informed  by  his  nephew,  William 
Merle,  a  brother's  son,  who  till  the  last  exhibited  the  ut- 
most affection  and  devotion  to  his  unfortunate  uncle,  of 
the  nature  of  the  proceeding,  the  old  man's  indignation 
and  grief  were  intense.     He  was  thrown  by  the  distress 


FOEMATIVE   PEEIOD.  41 

of  his  mind  into  a  severe  illness.  He  did  not  deny  the 
doctrine  of  the  gospel  as  he  had  learned  and  taught  it. 
This  he  declared  with  emphasis  as  soon  as  he  recovered. 
From  this  time  on  he  was  treated  as  a  lapsed  heretic. 
He  was  taken  to  Delft,  and  afterward,  to  get  him  away 
from  the  jurisdiction  of  the  states  of  Holland,  to  Louvain, 
Lessieux,  and  finally,  to  Bergen.  He  was  taken  to  the 
last  place  in  1557.  There  he  was  sentenced  to  die  by 
fire,  King  Philip  II.  having  given  the  order  that  his  case 
should  be  brought  to  a  close.  "When  after  a  long  time 
intelligence  of  the  sentence  reached  William  Merle,  he 
traveled  night  and  day  toward  Brussels.  He  applied  to 
Tapper,  who  told  him  that  by  that  time  the  execution 
doubtless  had  already  taken  place.  Still  he  hurried  on  to- 
ward Bergen.  He  arrived  there  on  July  26,  at  ten  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  just  as  his  aged  uncle,  seventy-five  years 
old,  leaning  on  his  staff,  so  changed  in  his  countenance 
by  the  effect  of  his  last  six  weeks'  imprisonment  in  hun- 
ger and  thirst,  filth  and  vermin,  that  his  nephew  scarcely 
recognized  him,  was  led  out  to  execution.  The  martyr 
had  addressed  those  who  were  to  put  him  to  death.  He 
had  a  message  to  the  people  who  surrounded  the  sad  pro- 
cession. He  turned  toward  William  and  commended 
to  his  care  the  institution  that  he  had  founded  for  his 
children,  the  orphans,  and  gave  utterance  to  the  hope 
that  the  government,  more  merciful  than  the  inquisitors, 
would  permit  the  funds  that  he  had  given  to  be  applied 
to  its  benefit.  He  then  asked  leave  to  pray.  It  was  al- 
lowed. He  sank  down  on  his  knees.  After  a  moment 
he  was  seen  to  lean  over  to  one  side.  They  rushed 
toward  him.  Merula  was  dead.  The  gentle  spirit  had 
left  that  worn-out  frame,  and  the  angels  guided  it  into 
the  presence  of  its  Saviour. 


42    EEFOEMED   CHUECH   IN   THE   NETHEELANDS. 


VI. 

THE  INFLUENCE  OF  A  BOLD  SEPARATISM. 

At  the  same  time  that  the  men  whom  Angelus  Merula 
represented,  were  endeavoring  to  effect  within  the 
Church  the  reformation  for  which  multitudes  had  be- 
come intensely  desirous,  there  were  others  who  sought 
to  attain  that  object  in  the  way  of  a  bold  separatism 
from  it.  Known  in  the  ecclesiastical  history  of  Ger- 
many and  Switzerland,  as  well  as  in  that  of  the  Nether- 
lands, by  the  names  of  Baptists,  Anabaptists  and  Men- 
nonites,  they  constituted  a  phenomenon  which,  remark- 
able as  it  was  among  the  departures  from  the  Komish 
system  of  faith  and  polity,  and  differing  in  many  im- 
portant respects  from  the  Protestantism  that  was  based 
upon  the  teachings  of  Luther  or  Zwingle,  still  was  of  the 
kind  that  it  may  claim  a  place  among  the  influences  by 
which  the  settlement  of  the  Eeformed  Church  was 
effected.  It  aided  in  this,  in  that  with  all  the  Eeformed 
these  Baptists  refused  to  acknowledge  the  binding- 
power,  in  all  matters  of  religion,  of  any  human  enact- 
ments; in  that  they  claimed  to  follow  the  Bible  alone  as 
their  authority,  though  they  erred  sadly  in  the  inter- 
pretation of  it  as  regards  many  points  of  doctrine  and 
practice;  in  that  they  cheerfully  gave  up  their  goods 
and  their  lives  for  their  faith;  in  that  they  set  an  ex- 
ample of  refusing  to  compromise,  however  well  meant 
the  effort  thereunto  might  be,  with  a  church  which  had 
become  exceedingly  corrupt;  and,  in  that  they  took  a 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  43 

decided  stand  in  respect  to  secession  from  the  Church 
of  Eome  and  the  formation  of  a  distinct  church  organi- 
zation. The  study  of  their  peculiarities  of  doctrine, 
polity  and  discipline,  suggests  in  some  particulars,  points 
of  contact  between  them  and  the  Gnostics  and  the  Cir- 
cumcelliones  of  the  earliest  periods;  and  in  others,  be- 
tween them  and  the  Baptists  and  Quakers  of  modern 
times.  There  is  considerable  obscurity  surrounding 
their  origin,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  general  name  of 
Anabaptists  was  applied  to  the  large  numbers  who  be- 
cause of  their  piety  and  godliness  were  held  in  great 
esteem  by  such  men  as  Erasmus,  and  to  other  large 
numbers  who  in  the  outbursts  of  their  ungovernable 
fanaticism  became  guilty  of  the  most  horrible  excesses 
at  Munster,  Amsterdam  and  Leyden,  simply  on  the 
ground  that  these  very  dissimilar  parties  both  rejected 
infant  baptism  and  forced  baptism  at  their  hands  upon 
every  person  who  joined  their  ranks.  They  were  very 
numerous  in  the  Netherlands  at  the  beginning  of  the 
sixteenth  century.  In  1534  twelve  ship  loads  sailed  to 
meet  John  Matthys,  and  afterward  John  Beukels,  at 
Munster.  Bouwens,  one  of  their  elders,  baptized  since 
1551,  at  Embden,  ten  thousand  persons.  A  list  of  their 
names  is  still  in  existence.  Their  numbers  would  have 
been  still  larger  in  the  Netherlands,  were  it  not  that  many 
shrank  from  the  strictness  of  the  discipline,  and, 
secretly  feeling  more  in  sympathy  with  Luther,  united 
with  the  Reformed  Church  when  it  became  established. 
As  to  the  origin  of  the  Baptists,  or  Anabaptists,  in 
the  Netherlands,  Brand  says  that  they  began  to  be 
heard  of  there  in  1527.  The  branch  of  the  reformers 
which  excludes  infant  baptism,  began  to  be  known  in 
Switzerland  in  1522  by  means  of  Conrad  Grebel  and 
Felix  Mants,  both  learned  men,  who  had  a  dispute  with 


44    REFORMED   CHURCH  IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

Zwinglc  about  baptism.  As  the  result  of  this  dispute 
an  edict  was  issued  at  Zurich  against  the  Baptists,  ac- 
cording to  which  a  fine  of  a  silver  mark  was  imposed 
upon  every  one  who  rebaptized  a  person,  or  who  with- 
held his  children  from  being  baptized.  Those  who  per- 
sisted were  to  be  more  severely  punished.  Felix  was 
put  to  death  by  drowning.  "  Qui  iterum  mergit,  mer- 
gatur,"  said  Zwingle.  The  sentence  sounds  like  a 
ghastly  joke. 

Ypey  and  Dermout  trace  the  Baptists  of  the  Nether- 
lands back  to  the  Waldenses  who  were  scattered  by  per- 
secution in  the  second  half  of  the  twelfth  century,  and 
of  whom  many  took  refuge  in  that  country.  In  the 
volumes  of  notes  appended  to  their  history,  these 
authors  say  that  the  Waldenses  were  most  probably  an 
elect  remnant  of  the  pure  evangelical  church,  who,  be- 
fore the  time  of  Constantine  the  Great,  were  dispersed 
by  the  emperors,  and  after  many  wanderings  settled 
down  in  the  valleys  of  Piedmont.  Claiming  that  even 
Eoman  Catholic  writers  regard  this  as  not  impossible, 
they  refer  to  the  opinion  of  Rayner,  that  the  Waldenses 
can  be  traced  back  to  the  times  of  the  Apostles;  to  that 
of  Hosius,  that  their  history  commences  in  the  time  of 
Augustine;  and  to  that  of  Schyn  (a  Baptist  writer),  that 
they  had  their  beginning  in  the  eighth  century. 

This  statement,  together  with  the  declaration  that  the 
Baptists  in  the  Netherlands,  traced  back  to  the  Walden- 
ses, are  not  to  be  confounded  with  the  communistic 
fanatics  whose  horrible  excesses  have  been  alluded  to, 
and,  also,  that  there  are  many  points  of  resemblance  be- 
tween the  views  of  these  Waldenses  and  their  presumed 
descendants,  in  points  of  doctrine  and  discipline,  sheds 
some  light,  perhaps,  upon  a  singular  assertion  made  by 
these  historians.     This  assertion,  all  the  more  a  singular 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  45 

one  from  the  fact  that  these  historians  had  previously 
stated  that  among  the  Waldenses  no  mention  was  made 
of  the  rejection  of  infant  baptism,  but  that  the  Nether- 
lands Baptists  did  reject  it,  and  that  for  that  reason 
they  were  confounded  with  the  Anabaptists,  is  literally 
as  follows: 

"  We  have  seen  that  the  Baptists,  who  in  former  times 
were  called  Anabaptists,  and  later  Mennonites,  were 
originally  Waldenses,  who  in  ecclesiastical  history  have 
for  a  long  season  past  received  a  well-merited  homage. 
Hence  the  Baptists  may  be  regarded  as  from  of  old  the 
only  religious  association  that  has  existed  from  the  times 
of  the  Apostles  onward,  as  a  Christian  society  by  whom 
the  evangelical  system  of  religious  doctrine  has  been 
kept  pure  throughout  all  ages.  The  inner  and  the 
outer  state  of  the  Baptist  association,  which  has  never 
become  deformed,  is  a  witness  to  the  truth  which  the 
Church  of  Rome  has  combatted,  that  the  reformation  of 
religion,  as  it  was  effected  during  the  sixteenth  century, 
was  a  necessity;  and  it  refutes,  moreover,  the  error  of 
the  Roman  Catholics,  that  their  ecclesiastical  association 
is  the  oldest." 

This  certainly  is  strong  language,  especially  the  word 
which  we  italicized,  which  let  him,  who  can,  sub- 
stantiate in  view  of  the  presentations  which  dispassionate 
writers,  including  those  of  the  Baptish  Church,  give  of 
the  doctrines  of  the  Baptist  reformers  of  the  fifteenth 
and  sixteenth  centuries,  even  the  question  of  their  being 
confounded  with  the  tumultuous  Anabaptists  being  set 
aside.  Diest  Lorgion  quotes  a  Baptist  author  in  great 
repute  among  his  brethren.  We  give  the  substance, 
except  in  the  case  referring  to  baptism  where  we  furnish 
a  literal  translation.  At  first,  the  humble  among  the 
people  were  called  Baptists.     These,  uniting  with  others 


46    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

in  the  desire  for  a  reformation,  either  would  quietly  take 
their  places  with  those  who  left  the  Church  of  Rome,  or 
join  those  who  openly  resisted  its  demands.  Their  aim 
was  to  restore  the  original  purity  of  the  church  in  doc- 
trine and  in  practice.  The  basis  upon  which  they  rested 
was  the  Word  of  God.  They  held  that  unto  this  restora- 
tion something  more  was  necessary  than  a  mere  correc- 
tion of  abuses.  Their  ideas  embraced  the  erection  of  a 
new  church  according  to  Xew  Testament  precepts. 
Under  the  old  covenant,  God  had  erected  an  earthly 
kingdom.  Under  the  new,  He  would  have  a  spiritual 
kingdom  to  take  its  place.  This  kingdom  was  to  be 
the  Church  of  Christ,  made  up  of  his  elect  without  spot. 
In  this  they  followed  the  Scripture  as  their  guide. 
"  Pursuing  this  idea,  they  naturally  arrived  at  the 
fundamental  conception  of  a  luminous  representation  of 
the  entire  Christendom  as  an  adoration  of  God  in  spirit 
and  in  truth  through  the  appearing  of  the  Son  of  God 
in  the  flesh.  Continuing  in  this  path,  they  commenced 
their  work  by  rejecting  infant  baptism,  while  they  held 
up  and  practiced  the  baptism  of  adults  as  the  only  verit- 
able symbol  and  token  of  the  entrance  of  a  man  into 
this  kingdom."  Out  of  this  grew  other  ideas.  The 
church  must  remain  pure.  Hence  excision  and  avoid- 
ance. A  civil  authority  was  superfluous.  There  should 
only  be  spiritual  authority.  There  should  be  no 
material  weapons.  In  this  kingdom  truth  must  be  the 
law.  Hence  there  should  be  no  oaths  of  any  kind,  which, 
indeed,  the  Master  positively  forbade.  The  world  is  not 
yet  ready  for  this  kingdom.  Hence  it  is  to  be  all  the 
more  luminously  illustrated  within  the  circle  where  it 
already  exists,  and  there  should  be  a  separation  from  the 
world  in  respect  to  dress  and  modes  of  life.  In  short, 
the  citizens  of  that  kingdom  were_a  practical,  not  a  spec- 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  47 

illative  people,  who  made  their  doctrine  known  to  men, 
rather  by  the  fruits  of  it  than  in  the  way  of  an  abstract 
presentation  of  their  views  of  the  teachings  of  Scripture. 
The  man  who  organized  these  seceders  from  the 
Church  of  Eome  into  an  eclesiastical  body,  by  drawing 
together  and  improving  some  of  the  commendable  ele- 
ments, and  sifting  out  and  rejecting  most  of  those 
which  were  worthy  of  condemnation  only,  was  he  from 
whom  the  Mennonites  have  derived  their  name.  Menno 
Simons  was  born  at  Witmarsum,  in  Friesland,  in  1505. 
When  he  appeared  on  the  scene  of  this  history,  he  was 
a  Romish  priest  at  Bolsward,  a  Tillage  near  Franeker. 
He  was  early  in  sympathy  with  the  better  portion  of  the 
Baptist  seceders.  The  fanatacism  and  the  wild  exces- 
ses of  the  followers  of  John  Matthys  and  John  Beukels 
distressed  him,  and  the  tragedy  of  Oldeklooster,  in  his 
native  province,  where  a  number  of  men,  women,  and 
children,  let  astray  by  their  demented  leaders,  lost  their 
lives,  shocked  him  greatly.  The  execution  of  a  man 
named  Snyder  for  having  had  himself  re-baptized,  was 
the  turning-point  in  his  life.  He  began  to  study  the 
Scripture  with  a  view  of  ascertaining  its  teachings  on 
the  subject  of  baptism.  He  concluded  that  the  baptism 
of  infants  is  contrary  to  their  import.  In  regard  to 
Rome's  doctrine  concerning  the  Lord's  Supper,  he  also 
began  to  entertain  grave  doubts.  He  gave  up  his 
priesthood  and  joined  the  Baptists.  He  speaks  thus  of 
himself  at  this  part  of  his  career:  "My  heart  trembled 
within  me.  I  prayed  to  God  with  sighs  and  tears  that 
He  would  bestow  upon  me,  a  sorrowing  sinner,  the  gift 
of  his  grace;  that  He  would  create  a  clean  heart  in  me; 
that  for  the  sake  of  the  red  blood  of  Christ,  He  would 
graciously  pardon  all  my  impure  practices,  and  that  he 
would  endow  me  with  wisdom,  spirituality,  boldness  and 


48    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

a  manly  courage,  so  that  I  might  proclaim  His  adorable 
name  and  holy  word,  without  any  mixture  of  error,  and 
make  known  His  truth  unto  His  praise.  I  commenced 
to  preach  openly  from  the  pulpit,  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord,  a  genuine  repentance;  to  point  out  to  the  people 
the  narrow  way;  to  rebuke,  in  a  Scriptural  manner,  sin 
and  ungodliness,  idolatry  and  false  religion;  and  to  bear 
witness  to  baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper  according  to 
the  mind  of  Christ,  in  so  far  as  I,  by  the  grace  of  God, 
could  understand  it.  I  warned  every  one  against  the 
wickedness  of  the  proceedings  at  Munster.  After  nine 
months  the  gracious  God  granted  me  His  fatherly  Spirit, 
help  and  strength,  so  that,  giving  up  all  reputation  I 
had  among  men,  and  abandoning  all  anti-Christian 
horrors,  masses,  infant  baptism,  extravagant  modes  of 
life  and  everything  else  of  the  sort,  I  cheerfully,  though 
in  misery  and  poverty,  took  my  position  under  the  Cross 
of  Christ,  feared  my  God,  sought  the  pious,  labored  with 
the  erring,  by  divine  help  delivered  some  out  of  the 
snares  of  perdition,  and  gained  over  the  obdurate,  com- 
mending them  to  the  Lord." 

In  1537  he  was  invited  by  a  number  of  prominent 
Baptists  to  assume  a  pastoral  charge.  He  complied 
reluctantly.  He  did  not  approve  of  long  pastorates,  and 
therefore  went  from  place  to  place.  Perhaps  he  was 
also  compelled  to  this  course  by  the  attempts  that  were 
made  to  get  possession  of  his  person.  He  had  some  hair- 
breadth escapes  from  capture,  but  he  succeeded  in  elud- 
ing his  enemies.  In  1539  a  resident  of  Harlingen, 
named  Eeinders,  was  executed  at  Leeu warden  for  having 
given  him  lodging.  In  1542  a  proclamation  was  issued 
promising  the  gift  of  a  hundred  golden  florins  to  any 
person  who  should  give  him  up  to  the  government,  and 
stating  that  every  one  who  harbored  him  was  to  be  dealt 


FORMATIVE   PERIOD.  49 

with  as  a  heretic.  In  the  same  year  he  came  in  contact 
with  the  celebrated  John  a  Lasco.  When  the  latter  was 
in  Friesland,  endeavoring  to  unite  the  different  Protes- 
tant parties  in  a  single  body,  he  said  to  the  government 
of  Brussels,  which  desired  to  expel  a  number  of  them, 
"  Let  us  examine  first  what  they  are."  Permission  was 
given.  "  One  man  among  them  all,"  says  D'Aubigne, 
"appeared  to  him  to  be  sincerely  pious,  and  to  set  be- 
fore himself  a  really  praiseworthy  object."  This  was 
Menno.  Alasco  invited  him  to  a  religious  conference, 
which  turned  upon  the  subjects  of  the  ministry,  the 
baptism  of  children,  and  the  incarnation  of  the  Son  of 
God.  It  was  chiefly  this  last  point  with  which  he  con- 
cerned himself.  Menno  taught  a  fantastical  doctrine. 
He  believed  that  the  birth  of  Jesus  had  been  only  in  ap- 
pearance; that  he  had  not  received  from  the  Virgin 
Mary  his  flesh  and  blood,  but  had  brought  them  from 
heaven.  Menno  having  brought  forward  several  other 
opinions  that  were  peculiar  to  himself,  a  Lasco  admitted 
that  it  was  impossible  to  attach  him  to  the  great  evangel- 
ical body,  but  at  the  same  time  he  did  not  ask  for  his 
expulsion. 

Between  1543  and  1546  Menno  remained  in  Cologne. 
After  that  he  traveled  through  the  northern  part  of 
Germany,  until  within  five  years  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  at  Olderloo,  a  hamlet  between  Lubeck  and 
Hamburg,  on  January  13,  1561.  In  his  system,  which 
the  eloquence  of  the  preacher,  and  to  some  extent  the 
circumstances  of  the  times  recommended,  he  condemned, 
as  Mosheim  says,  the  expectation  of  a  new  kingdom  of 
Christ  to  be  set  up  by  violence  and  by  the  expulsion  of 
magistrates;  the  marvellous  restitution  of  the  Church 
by  a  new  and  extraordinary  effusion  of  the  Holy  Ghost: 
the  licentiousness  of  polygamy  and  divorce;  and  the 
9 


50    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

presence  of  the  Spirit  in  the  hearts  of  individuals  mani- 
fest by  their  ability  to  prophesy,  and  by  their  dreams. 
On  the  other  hand,  he  retained  the  rejection  of  infant 
baptism;  the  coming  of  a  thousand  years''  reign  of 
Christ  before  the  end  of  the  world;  the  inadmissibility 
of  magistrates  in  the  Church  ;  the  prohibition  by  Christ 
of  wars  and  oaths;  and  the  inutility  and  mischief  of 
human  learning. 

He  was  a  remarkable  man.  He  and  his  followers 
stood  by  themselves  in  the  great  movements  of  the  times. 
Still  he  had  his  part,  though  a  peculiar  one,  in  prepar- 
ing the  Netherlands  for  the  establishment  there  of  the 
Reformed  Church. 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  51 


VII. 

THE   ADOPTION   OF   A   CONFESSION   OF   FAITH. 

The  history  of  the  formative  period  of  the  Eeformed 
Church  in  the  Netherlands  is  so  closely  interwoven  with 
that  of  the  formative  period  of  the  Dutch  republic,  that, 
in  reviewing  the  former,  it  is  not  possible  altogether  to 
ignore  the  latter.  In  this  case  politics  and  religion  so 
thoroughly  blend  that  they  cannot  be  kept  apart.  An 
account  of  the  one  is  largely  that  of  the  other.  The 
details  of  the  consolidation  of  the  Eeformed  into  a  well- 
organized  church  may  therefore  readily  be  seen  to 
cluster  around  a  double  pair  of  events,  which  are,  as  to 
the  first  pair,  the  centres  in  which  were  gathered  up 
positive  results  looking  toward  a  special  direction;  and 
as  to  the  second,  those  from  which  went  out  influences 
tending,  though  in  the  way  of  a  negative  process,  to- 
ward the  same  direction — the  unifying  of  the  brethren 
of  the  same  faith  into  a  strong  and  efficient  ecclesiastical 
organization.  The  confederation  of  the  nobles  and  the 
adoption  of  a  S}Tmbol  of  faith  embracing  a  confession  and 
a  catechism,  effected,  in  the  manner  peculiar  to  them, 
the  same  result  which  was  brought  about  by  the  com- 
mission of  the  Duke  of  Alva  and  the  scattering  of  the 
Protestants,  operating  in  a  manner  appropriate  to  these 
instrumentalities.  By  the  will  of  God  these  events 
severally  contributed  toward  the  establishment  of  the 
Eeformed  Church. 


52    REFORMED   CHURCH  IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

Iii  the  year  1561 — when,  as  we  have  seen,  Menno,  the 
last  of  the  five  representative  men  of  whom  mention  has 
been  made  in  connection  with  the  preparation  for  the 
Keformed  Church,  died — Philip  II.  was  the  mighty  ruler 
over  a  large  part  of  Europe.  His  representative  in  the 
Netherlands  was  his  sister  Margaret,  widow  of  the  Duke 
of  Parma.  The  freedom  of  her  course  in  the  exercise  of 
her  authority  was  greatly  impeded  by  the  suspicion  and 
the  opposition  of  the  nobles,  who,  though  strict  in  their 
allegiance  to  their  royal  master,  could  not  brook  the  ex- 
ercise by  him  of  a  power  which,  in  respect  to  certain 
inalienable  rights  and  privileges  belonging  to  the  prov- 
inces, was  a  gross  usurpation.  These  men,  who  num- 
bered among  them  such  names  as  Croy,  Mansfeldt, 
Ligne,  Megen,  Egmonfc  and  Montmorency,  and  at  the 
head  of  whom  was  Prince  William  of  Orange,  prominent 
as  regards  almost  everything  that  pertains  to  human 
greatness — rank,  wealth,  character,  ability,  influence — 
were  generally  favorably  disposed  toward  the  Reformed, 
some  from  pity,  others  from  policy,  and  a  few  from 
conviction. 

The  Reformation  had  been  gaining  ground  through 
the  influences  which  we  have  already  considered.  To 
these  influences  must  be  added  those  inherent  in  increas- 
ing commercial  connections;  in  the  fear,  entertained  by 
Roman  Catholics  and  Protestants  alike,  of  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  dreaded  inquisition,  for  which  the  addition 
of  fourteen  bishoprics  to  the  four  already  existing  was 
furnishing  greater  facilities;  and  in  the  relations  of 
amity  that  were  cultivated  between  the  Protestants  of 
the  Netherlands  and  those  of  Germany,  France,  England 
and  Switzerland.  The  tenets  of  the  leaders  of  Protes- 
tant theology  in  these  countries  had  each  its  adherents 
in  the  Netherlands.      There  were  Lutherans,  at  first 


FORMATIVE   PERIOD.  53 

largely  in  the  majority;  Melancthonians,  who  held  a 
slightly  varying  shade  of  Lutheran  ism;  Zwinglians,  Cal- 
vinists,  and  Anabaptists — of  whom  there  was  also  a  sep- 
arate branch  called  Karelstadians — who  were  mystics  and 
discarded  all  interpretation  of  the  Scripture  upon  anj- 
thing  like  scientific  principles. 

These  branches  of  Protestantism,  though  there  were 
points  of  contact  among  them  in  reference  to  certain 
fundamental  doctrines  accepted  by  all,  yet  were  sepa- 
rated from  each  other  as  to  important  doctrines  and 
church  government.  The  Lutherans,  Zwinglians  and 
Calvinists  were  agreed  upon  the  subject  of  baptism,  in 
which  the  Baptists  differed  from  them.  With  the  Lu- 
therans, who  in  the  Lord's  Supper  held  to  consubstan- 
tiation — the  bodily  presence  of  the  Lord  Jesus — the 
Zwinglians  and  the  Baptists  could  not  agree;  for  they 
believed  that  in  the  Holy  Eucharist,  or  Supper  of  thanks- 
giving, the  body  of  Christ  is  present,  not  in  substance 
but  to  the  eye  of  faith,  the  eye  of  him  who  thanks  the 
Lord  for  the  benefits  conferred  on  us  in  Christ  his  Son 
and  acknowledges  that  he  assumed  a  real  body,  truly  suf- 
fered in  it  and  washed  away  our  sins  in  his  own  blood. 
Calvin,  who  greatly  desired  to  unite  all  the  Protestants, 
took  a  middle  line  between  these  two  views,  and  taught 
that  there  is  a  real  presence  of  Christ  in  the  Supper,  but 
altogether  a  spiritual  one;  and  that  the  bread  and  the 
wine  being  symbols  of  Christ's  body  and  blood,  the  soul 
by  its  mouth  (faith)  feeds  upon  that  body  and  blood, 
as,  by  the  mouth  of  the  body,  the  body  feeds  upon  the 
material  bread  and  wine.  Calvin  also  taught  the  doc- 
trine of  election  by  sovereign  grace,  and  its  correlative, 
a  limited  atonement.  Then,  there  were  differences  also 
in  the  opinions  held  by  these  several  branches  of  Pro- 
testantism in  regard  to  church  polity.     Luther  wished 


54    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

to  restore  in  the  Church  the  democracy  of  the  earliest 
ages  and  the  disposition  of  the  hierarchy  according  to  a 
system  of  an  appropriate  subordinacy.  Zwingle  desired 
to  see  at  the  head  of  the  Church  a  permanent  superin- 
tendent, limited  in  power,  and  with  all  his  subordinate 
ecclesiastics  dependent  upon  the  altogether  unlimited 
civil  power.  In  distinction  from  these  opinions,  and 
much  more  in  accord  with  the  germinal  conception  of 
a  republic  in  the  State,  the  development  of  which  the 
history  of  the  times  was  indicating  to  the  eyes  of  the 
statesman,  Calvin  held  that  the  Church  is  a  wholly  in- 
dependent body,  having  power  inherent  in  itself,  and  to 
be  governed  only  by  the  ministers  together  with  the 
elders  convened  in  ecclesiastical  assembly,  the  State 
having  nothing  more  to  do  with  the  Church  than  to 
protect  it  and  to  ensure  to  it  the  full  use  of  all  its 
rights.  According  to  him  the  ministers  of  the  Church 
were  all  upon  a  par  as  regards  ecclesiastical  rank. 

Though  these  several  branches  of  Protestantism  affil- 
iated in  the  spirit  of  brotherly  love,  yet,  from  this  variety 
of  opinion  in  regard  to  doctrine  and  polity,  it  is  evident 
there  could  be  no  such  permanence  of  cohesion  among 
individuals  as  is  essentially  necessary  to  the  formation 
of  a  Church.  But  for  this  God  was  preparing  the  way. 
The  Calvinists  constantly  increased  in  numbers  and 
drew  to  themselves  not  a  few  Lutherans  and  nearly  all 
of  those  who  held  the  Zwinglian  tenets,  with  whom  many 
of  the  Baptists,  because  of  similarity  of  opinion  in  re- 
gard to  the  Lord's  Supper,  had  already  become  associated. 
This  attachment  of  the  people  of  the  Netherlands  to 
Calvinism  is  in  great  part  to  be  accounted  for  by  the 
influence  exerted  by  the  Walloon  congregations,  and  also, 
particularly,  by  the  successful  labors  of  four  eminent 
preachers.     The  spread  of  the  faith  represented  by  the 


FORMATIVE   PERIOD.  55 

Walloon  churches,  was  to  some  extent  owing  to  territor- 
ial circumstances,  since  the  Southern  Netherlands  were 
related  by  vicinity  of  situation  and  by  a  common  lan- 
guage to  France  where  these  churches  had  their  origin. 
The  Northern  Netherlands,  on  the  other  hand,  though 
using  an  entirely  different  language,  were  in  sympathy 
with  Brabant  and  Flanders  which  they  adjoined.  In 
1561  there  were  many  of  these  Calvinistic  Walloon 
churches  in  the  Netherlands.  They  were  known  among 
themselves  by  distinctive  names,  in  imitation  of  the  socie- 
ties of  the  rhetoricians  which  have  been  mentioned.  Thus 
at  Ryssel  was  the  congregation  of  the  Kose-tree;  at 
Armentieres,  that  of  the  Rosebud;  at  Antwerp,  that 
of  the  Vineyard;  at  Ghent,  that  of  the  Sword;  at  Ou- 
denaarde,  that  of  the  Lily;  at  Doornik,  that  of  the 
Palm-tree;  at  Bergen,  that  of  the  Olive-tree;  at  Douay, 
that  of  the  wheat-sheaf;  at  Arras,  that  of  the  Violet. 
These  scattered  Walloon  congregations  held  irregular 
conventions,  by  some  called  synods,  in  the  utmost  secrecy. 
On  April  26,  1563,  there  was  such  a  meeting  in  the 
Southern  Netherlands,  and  on  July  21  and  October  15, 
at  Antwerp.  Of  the  proceedings  nothing  is  known  ex- 
cept that,  at  the  meeting  in  October,  a  resolution  was 
adopted  to  the  effect  that  subsequently  records  should 
be  kept  and  copies  furnished  to  the  churches.  After 
that,  synods  (so  called)  were  held  in  1561,  1565,  1566. 
The  last  one,  as  will  be  seen,  was  the  most  important  of 
them  all. 

The  men,  who  by  their  zeal  and  eloquence  were  in- 
strumental in  gathering  the  majority  of  the  Protestants 
in  the  Netherlands  under  the  banner  of  Calvinism,  were 
Guido  de  Bres,  pastor  first  at  Ryssel  and  then  at  Valen- 
ciennes, who  was  martyred  in  1567;  Petrus  Dathenus, 
who  in  1555  was  pastor  in  Frankfort,  and  afterward  did 


56    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

a  great  service  in  translating  the  Heidelberg  Catechism 
into  the  Dutch  language;  Henry  Modet,  one  of  the  first 
who,  in  1566,  was  bold  enough  to  engage  in  field-preach- 
ing; and  finally,  Francois  du  Jon,  or,  as  he  is  also  called, 
Franciscus  Junius,  who  was  a  professor  of  theology  in 
the  University  of  Leyden  when  he  died  in  1602;  and  who, 
when  a  very  young  pastor  at  Antwerp,  was  so  ardent  and 
fearless,  that  he  preached  once  when  the  reflection  of 
the  flames  in  which  the  body  of  a  sufferer  for  the  faith 
was  consuming  gleamed  upon  the  walls  of  the  room 
where  his  little  flock  was  convened. 

This  incident  in  the  life  of  Junius,  as  well  as  the  fact 
that  these  scattered  churches  were  compelled  to  use 
countersigns,  or  watchwords,  sufficiently  intimate  that 
the  growth  of  the  cause  of  the  Reformation  in  the  Neth- 
erlands was  in  the  midst  of  the  fires  of  persecution. 

Such,  then,  was  the  aspect  of  things  in  politics  and 
religion  when,  on  October  2,  1565,  a  few  nobles,  about 
twenty  in  number,  met  in  the  city  of  Brussels.  Junius, 
who  had  been  sent  for  from  Antwerp,  led  them  in  prayer. 
After  this  devotion  they  consulted  together  in  regard 
to  the  best  measures  to  be  adopted  for  the  protection  of 
the  land  against  the  Spanish  yoke.  Their  deliberations 
resulted  in  the  formation  of  a  covenant  agreement, 
according  to  which  all  who  signed  it  pledged  themselves 
to  resist,  in  every  way  consistent  with  the  honor  of  God 
and  allegiance  to  the  king,  the  introduction  of  the 
inquisition  into  the  land.  This  was  the  origin  of  the 
famous  compromise,  though  some  historians  attribute 
the  projection  of  it  to  the  celebrated  Philip  of  Marnix. 
On  the  5th  of  April  of  the  next  year  (1566),  a  party  of 
between  three  hundred  and  four  hundred  nobles,  under 
the  leadership  of  Hendrik  of  Brederoode  and  Louis  of 
Nassau,  brother  of  Prince  William,  rode  into  Brussels 


FOKMATIVE   PEKIOD.  57 

and  presented  to  the  regent  Margaret  a  petition,  in 
which  the  removal  of  the  pressure,  brought  to  bear  by 
the  government  upon  the  cause  of  Protestantism,  was  re- 
quested. It  was  on  this  occasion  that  the  name  Geux 
(beggars),  applied  to  these  petitioning  nobles,  began  to 
take  so  important  a  place  in  Dutch  history.  The  reply 
to  this  petition,  as  a  concession  to  the  Protestants,  was 
of  so  equivocal  a  nature  that  the  people  changed  the 
word  moderation  into  that  of  murderation,  as  far  more 
correctly  expressing  its  spirit  and  intent. 

By  this  result  the  Protestant  cause  was  really  saved. 
If  the  project  of  the  nobles  had  been  carried  out  and  a 
compromise  been  effected,  the  Eeformation  in  the  Neth- 
erlands would  not  in  the  end  have  triumphed,  and  the 
Dutch  republic  would  have  been  impossible.  Still,  the 
extent  to  which  the  nobles  went  in  showing  their  sym- 
pathy, which  they  failed  not  to  act  upon  whenever  the 
opportunity  was  afforded,  had  the  effect  of  inspiring  the 
Reformed  with  courage. 

With  cheerful  spirit,  therefore,  the  pastors  of  some  of 
the  Walloon  and  the  Netherland  churches  assembled  in 
Antwerp,  in  May,  1566,  especially  as  they  had  a  num- 
ber of  the  nobles  in  company  with  them,  even  though 
the  members  of  that  convention  were  compelled  to  ob- 
serve such  secresy  that  they  gave  admission  only  to  those 
who  had  the  countersign,  La  Vigne  (the  Vineyard).  The 
object  of  this  meeting  was  to  lay  the  foundation  of  a 
regular  church  association,  the  members  of  which  might 
be  bound  together  most  closely  in  the  bonds  of  a  general 
concord.  The  adoption  was  contemplated,  therefore,  of 
a  symbol  of  faith,  to  the  end  that  there  might  be  agree- 
ment in  the  instructions  given  by  ministers  and  in  the 
confession  made  by  laymen,  "so  that  the  good  Christians 
of  the  Reformed  Church  should  not  be  driven  about  by 


58    REFORMED    CHURCH   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

every  wind  of  doctrine,  as  had  hitherto  been  too  much 
the  case." 

This  unification  of  believers  into  a  church  could  best 
be  effected,  it  was  thought,  by  the  adoption  of  the  con- 
fession of  faith  which  had  been  composed  by  Guido  de 
Bres  in  1559.  This  was  not  the  first  symbol  of  faith  as 
held  by  Calvinists,  that  had  been  constructed,  for  there 
was  one  of  a  prior  date  (1550),  from  the  pen  of  Alasco. 
But  the  former  (that  of  De  Bres)  superseded  the  latter. 
It  was  called  "A  confession  of  faith  made  by  common 
consent  by  the  faithful  who  are  everywhere  scattered 
throughout  the  Netherlands;"  and,  finally  revised  by 
the  Synod  of  Dordrecht,  which  met  in  1618-1619,  is  the 
same  which  in  37  articles  is  incorporated  in  the  volume 
of  the  psalms  and  hymns  of  the  Reformed  Protestant 
Dutch  Church.  After  De  Bres  had  composed  that  con- 
fession, he  sent  it  first  of  all  to  different  ministers  at 
home  and  in  foreign  lands,  for  their  opinion;  and  par- 
ticularly to  Adrian  Saravia,  a  pastor  at  Leyden,  and 
seven  years  later  a  prominent  member  of  the  Antwerp 
Synod.  Saravia  sent  it  to  Calvin,  who  praised  it,  but 
advised  that  it  should  be  set  aside  upon  the  ground  that 
a  confession  had  that  year  been  adopted  at  a  Synod  held 
in  Paris.  De  Bres  was  content  to  follow  this  counsel, 
though  his  design,  in  composing  his  confession,  had 
been  to  free  the  Reformed  in  the  Netherlands  from  the 
imputation  that  they  were  of  the  seditious  Anabaptists 
who  some  years  previously  had  filled  Europe  with  wrath 
and  horror.  In  1561  the  learned  Godfried  Van  Wingen 
persuaded  him  to  transmit  it  to  the  theologians  atEmb- 
den,  who,  though  they  were  of  the  Zwinglian  order,  ap- 
proved it.  It  was  then  submitted  a  second  time  to  min- 
isters at  home  and  abroad,  with  the  result  that  in  the 
main  it  was  approved,  though  suggestions  were  made 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  59 

iii  reference  to  the  addition  and  subtraction  of  certain 
phrases.  In  1562  it  was  published  in  French  for  the 
churches  located  in  the  Southern  Netherlands,  and  in 
Dutch  for  those  situated  in  the  northern  provinces.  A 
copy  of  it  in  the  latter  language,  accompanied  by  a  letter, 
was  sent  to  King  Philip  II.  of  Spain.  Similarly,  the 
French  Reformed  Church  had  sent  to  Francis  II.,  the 
King  of  France,  a  copy  of  its  confession.  It  was 
handed  to  him  on  Aug.  21,  1560,  at  a  great  assembly 
held  at  Fontainebleau,  by  the  admiral  Chatillon,  with 
the  request  in  the  name  of  the  Reformed  in  France, 
"that  his  Majesty  would  grant  them  liberty  to.  possess 
temples,  or  other  suitable  places  in  which  publicly  to 
pray  to  God,  to  preach  and  hear  His  word,  to  administer 
His  sacraments,  and  there  to  give  evidence  of  their  Faith; 
also,  that  they  might  be  relieved  from  the  imputation  of 
crimes  and  slanders  which  were  falsely  attributed  to 
them."  The  address,  which  the  Reformed  of  the  Neth- 
erlands sent  to  Philip  with  their  confession,  is  truly  a  re- 
markable document.  It  is  apologetic  of  the  truth  for 
which  the  people  were  sacrificing  their  goods  and  their 
lives,  and  it  is  an  appeal  to  the  best  feelings  of  the  mon- 
arch. It  is  respectful  in  its  tone,  yet  firm  in  the  utter- 
ance of  the  convictions  of  its  authors.  It  recognizes  the 
authority  of  the  earthly  ruler,  but,  that  authority  sub- 
ordinate to  that  of  the  King  of  Kings  and  Lord  of  Lords, 
the  great  Head  of  the  Church.  It  is  most  touching  in 
its  allusions  to  the  sufferings  which  the  inhabitants  of 
the  Netherlands  were  enduring  for  conscience's  sake. 
It  opens  thus: 

"  The  believers  who  are  in  the  Netherlands,  who  de- 
sire to  conform  their  lives  to  the  true  Reformation  of 
the  gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  the  invincible 
King  Philip,  their  Sovereign  Lord. 


60    REFORMED    CHURCH   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

"If  we  were  permitted,  0  most  gracious  Lord,  to 
present  ourselves  before  your  Majesty,  to  clear  ourselves 
of  the  difficulties  where witli  we  are  burdened,  and  to 
show  the  righteousness  of  our  cause,  we  would  not  em- 
ploy, for  the  purpose  of  making  known  to  you  the  bit- 
ter sighs  of  your  people,  the  obscure  method  of  a  dumb 
request,  or  a  written  confession.  But  after  our  enemies 
have  filled  your  ears  with  so  many  false  complaints  and 
reports,  so  that  not  only  are  we  prevented  from  appear- 
ing in  your  presence,  but  we  are  driven  out  of  your  ter- 
ritories and  are  murdered  and  burned  in  whatsoever 
place  we  may  be  found,  grant  us,  Most  Gracious  Lord, 
in  the  name  of  God,  that  which  no  man  can  refuse  even 
to  a  beast,  that  our  doleful  cries  may  be  allowed  to  come 
to  your  ears  from  afar;  to  the  end  that,  your  Majesty 
having  heard  us,  then,  if,  on  the  one  hand,  you  judge 
us  guilty,  the  fires  in  your  kingdom  may  be  increased 
and  the  tortures  and  the  torments  multiplied;  but,  on 
the  contrary,  if  our  innocence  become  clear  to  you,  you 
be  to  your  kingdom  for  a  support  and  a  refuge  against 
the  violence  of  our  enemies." 

At  the  same  time  that  the  Confession  and  the  letter 
were  transmitted  to  Philip,  "an  exhortation  and  dis- 
course" was  addressed  to  the  authorities  in  the  Nether 
lands,  namely,  in  Flanders,  Brabant,  Holland,  Zeeland, 
Henegow,  Artois,  and  their  surrounding  districts. 

In  1566,  at  the  Synod  of  Antwerp,  the  Confession  was 
thoroughly  revised;  certain  changes  were  made  in  refer- 
ence to  words  and  phrases,  and  the  16th  article,  relating 
to  election,  was  shortened;  transcribed  by  Junius,  who 
also  was  a  member  of  that  synod;  signed  by  the  nobles 
present,  though  whether  by  the  ministers  also  is  not 
certain;  adopted,  together  with  the  Heidelberg  Cate- 
chism, as  a  form  of  accord  in  the  faith,  and  sent  to 
Geneva  where  it  was  printed  by  John  Crispyn. 


FOKMATIVE  PERIOD.  61 

Iii  the  same  year,  on  April  1,  some  persons  deputed 
by  the  Believers  in  the  Netherlands,  delivered  a  copy  of 
the  Confession  to  the  Emperor  Maximilian  II.  at  the 
diet  assembled  at  Eegensburg;  together  with  a  letter  to 
his  imperial  majesty,  addressed  to  him  "in  the  name  of 
all  and  everyone  who  desire  with  all  their  hearts  to  be- 
lieve and  conduct  themselves  according  to  the  gospel  of 
the  Son  of  God,"  and  also,  "a  supplication,  or  argu- 
ment of  the  churches  of  Christ  which  are  scattered  here 
and  there,  throughout  the  Netherlands,  and  groan  under 
the  yoke  of  antichrist,  addressed  to  the  Great  and  Most 
Mighty  Lord  Maximilian,  by  the  grace  of  God  Emperor 
of  Eome,  etc."  The  edition  of  the  Confession,  dated 
1566,  is  numbered  in  the  Catalogus  librovum  prohibi- 
torum,  of  1569. 

This,  in  brief,  is  the  history  of  the  Belgic  Confession. 
It  was  intended  by  the  Synod  of  Antwerp  as  a  symbol 
of  accord  in  the  faith,  not  as  an  authoritative  rule  of 
faith.  Their  only  rule  of  faith  was  the  Word  of  God, 
and  they  would  have  nothing  in  any  way  of  human  ori- 
gin as  a  bond  upon  the  conscience.  A  body  had  now 
been  given  to  the  abstraction  of  the  Eeformed  Church, 
as  distinguished  from  the  Lutheran  Church  which  stood 
upon  the  Augsburg  Confession.  Erom  this  time  on 
the  Calvinists  of  the  Netherlands  had  a  name  as  well  as 
a  standard  of  faith.  That  standard  had  been  planted 
upon  the  Divine  Word,  but  it  was  such  a  one  that  it 
it  was  the  rallying-point  of  all  who  accepted  the  doc- 
trines and  the  ideas  of  church  government,  as  gathered 
from  the  Word  of  God,  according  to  the  interpretations 
of  it  by  John  Calvin,  one  of  the  greatest  men  of  his  age, 
and  indeed  of  all  times. 
6 


62    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE   NETHERLANDS. 


VIII. 

CONSOLIDATION  BY   MEANS   OF  DISPERSION. 

The  paradoxical  character  of  the  heading  of  this  chap- 
ter is  in  appearance  only.  History  has  shown  more  than 
once  that  when  the  several  members  of  a  body  polit- 
ical or  ecclesiastical  are  forced  apart,  this  very  forcing 
process  has  the  effect  of  quickening  the  tendency  to  co- 
hesion, through  the  superior  power  of  the  moral  idea 
over  outward  adverse  circumstances.  To  ignore  this  is 
to  make  a  great  mistake.  King  Philip  II.  made  that 
mistake,  and  the  result  of  it  was  that  he  strengthened 
the  Eeformed  Church  instead  of  destroying  it  as  he 
had  intended.  The  persecutions,  by  which  the  pure 
Gospel  really  the  more  prospered  and  increased,  had  al- 
ready been  going  on  for  years.  But  during  the  reign  of 
Philip  they  were  carried  to  the  utmost  extreme  of  cruel- 
ty and  brought  on  that  unequal  conflict  between  the 
Netherlands  and  the  whole  Spanish  empire  which,  after 
eighty  years'  duration,  ended  in  the  full  establishment  of 
the  Dutch  Eepublic  and  the  Protestant  Dutch  Eeformed 
Church. 

In  different  years  since  the  proclamation  of  Charles 
V.  at  the  Diet  of  Worms  (1521),  directed  against  Luther- 
anism,  edicts  of  an  increasingly  severe  nature  had  been 
issued  for  the  suppression  of  the  reformation  heresies. 
These  edicts  were  of  the  years  1526,  1529, 1540  and  (the 
most  rigorous  of  all)  1550.  Five  years  after  the  last,  the 
Emperor,  an  exhausted  though  not  an  old  man,  laid 


FOKMATIVE  PEEIOD.  63 

aside  the  sceptre  at  Brussels,  and  placed  it  in  the  hands 
of  his  son  Philip.  In  1549  Philip  had  bound  himself 
with  an  oath  to  pay  due  regard  to  the  rights  and 
privileges  of  the  Xetherlands.  But  how  strictly  he  ad- 
hered to  it  his  career  sufficiently  shows.  Xo  sooner  had 
he  been  firmly  seated  upon  the  throne  than  he  con- 
firmed all  the  edicts  issued  against  the  Eeformed 
during  his  father's  reign,  and  commanded  their  execu- 
tion upon  the  persons  of  the  heretics,  all  privileges,  ordi- 
nances, statutes,  usages  and  customs  to  the  contrary  not- 
withstanding. In  1565  the  Count  of  Egmont  was  sent 
to  Spain  upon  a  mission  of  intercession,  to  secure  from 
the  king,  if  possible,  a  larger  degree  of  religious  liberty 
for  the  people  of  the  Netherlands.  The  kindness  of  his 
reception  augured  a  favorable  result.  The  reality,  how- 
ever, was  the  opposite.  A  council  of  theologians  having 
been  convened,  the  king  asked  whether  there  was  a  ne- 
cessity of  granting  the  request  of  the  Netherlands.  The 
answer  was,  that  the  condition  in  which  the  provinces 
then  were  would  render  a  concession  pardonable.  "  I 
did  not  wish  to  be  informed,"  said  Philip,  "  whether  I 
might  grant  the  liberty  asked  for,  but  whether  I  must 
grant  it."  When  this  was  answered  in  the  negative,  the 
monarch  fell  on  his  knees  before  a  crucifix  and  ex- 
claimed: "  Almighty  God,  I  beseech  thee  that  I  may 
be  preserved  from  ever  ruling  over  a  people  that  deny 
thee."  Then  turning  towards  Egmont,  he  said  that  he 
would  rather  lose  a  hundred  thousand  lives  than  allow  a 
change  in  religion. 

Two  events,  nearly  simultaneous  in  their  occurrence, 
filled  the  mind  of  the  king  with  indignation  and  wrath, 
and  stimulated  his  zeal  for  the  maintenance  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  religion  throughout  the  Netherlands. 
These  were  the  open-air  worship  of  the  Reformers,  and 


64    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

the  iconoclastic  riots  of  the  mob.  On  July  14,  1566, 
the  first  field-service  was  held  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Hoorn;  and  afterwards,  others  in  different  parts  of  the 
States.  Peter  Gabriel  preached  at  Overveen,  a  charming 
village  near  Haarlem.  Those  who  proposed  to  partici- 
pate in  the  worship  had  been  on  the  ground  all  the  pre- 
vious night.  At  dawn  they  set  up  two  poles  and  nailed 
fast  to  them  a  third,  horizontally.  This  structure  was 
intended  as  a  support  for  the  exhausted  preacher  to  lean 
against.  He  came.  He  was  a  man  of  small  stature  and 
apparently  of  a  weak  physical  constitution.  With  his 
bare  head  exposed  to  the  summer  sun  he  preached  for 
four  hours.  His  doctrine  and  appeals  drew  tears  from 
the  eyes  of  his  audience.  His  text  was  Eph.  ii.  8-10. 
Four  days  after,  religious  services  of  a  similar  nature 
were  attempted  in  the  neighborhood  of  Amsterdam. 

On  August  14,  1566,  the  image-breaking  began  in 
Antwerp,  and  thence  spread  over  nearly  the  entire 
Netherlands,  the  evil  being  prevented  in  some  cases  only 
by  the  vigilance,  the  prudence,  and  the  wisdom  of  the 
local  magistrates.  Ungovernable  mobs,  armed  with  all 
sorts  of  destructive  implements,  broke  into. the  churches 
and  made  a  dreadful  havoc  of  their  contents.  In 
Flanders  alone,  nearly  four  hundred  buildings  were 
gutted. 

The  effect  in  Spain  of  the  intelligence  of  these  things 
was  what  might  have  been  expected.  It  was  proposed 
at  first  that  the  king  should  go  to  the  Netherlands  in  per- 
son. Instead,  however,  he  sent  the  Duke  of  Alva,  a 
man  whose  ravages  among  the  people  and  property  of 
the  provinces,  were  like  those  of  a  tiger  among  a  flock  of 
sheep.  On  August  28,  1567,  he  entered  Brussels,  hav- 
ing been  commissioned  by  Philip  to  take  the  place  of 
the  regent  Margaret.     As  Alva  came  into  the  country, 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  65 

the  Prince  of  Orange,  intent  upon  measures  of  defence 
and  protection  for  his  people,  went  out  of  it.  During 
the  six  years  that  Alva  remained  (he  retired  on  Decem- 
ber 18,  15T3),  the  Eeformed  Church  passed  through  a 
very  dark  period  of  its  history.  Immediately  upon  his 
assumption  of  the  government,  he  convened  what  he 
called  a  council  of  disturbances,  but  what  is  aptly  styled 
a  council  of  blood.  The  whole  people  were  condemned 
to  death.  The  churches,  it  was  said,  had  been  desecrated 
by  the  mob;  the  mob  had  been  urged  on  by  the  heretics; 
the  heretics  had  been  protected  by  the  nobles;  the 
nobles  had  been  sustained  by  the  gentry  who  were  their 
relatives.  All  were  guilty,  and  all  were  subject  to  the 
death  penalty.  Thenceforth  there  was  no  end  to  the 
hanging,  strangling,  burying  alive,  burning  at  the  stake, 
and  drowning.  The  secret  torture-chambers  resounded 
with  the  groans  of  the  hapless  victims.  The  fruit  on  the 
trees  by  the  roadside  was  decaying  human  corpses. 
The  gibbet,  with  its  horrible  freight,  cast  a  shadow  over 
many  a  flowery  path.  The  prisons  were  filled  to  over- 
flowing. Families  were  scattered  like  dust  before  the 
wind.  Xo  lives  or  property  were  safe.  A  heavy  gloom 
of  death  lay  spread  over  the  land,  and  a  great  cry  of  dis- 
tress ascended  to  heaven.  Preservation  of  life,  of  course, 
was  sought  in  flight.  The  last  city  where  the  Eeformed 
had  anything  like  a  refuge  within  their  own  land,  was 
Groningen.  That,  too,  was  taken  from  them.  But  this 
scattering  was  unto  the  strengthening.  TVe  shall  notice 
the  three  cities  of  refuge  where  afflicted  exiles  found  a 
home. 

First,  there  was  London.  Already  in  1 546  a  few  Dutch 
merchants,  fleeing  from  the  execution  of  the  edict  of 
1540,  and  also  in  the  interest  of  commerce,  located 
in  the  English  capital.  -  Here  they  formed  themselves 


66  REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

into  a  congregation,  which,  an  interruption  during  the 
reign  of  Queen  Mary  excepted,  had  a  career  of  great 
prosperity.  Already  in  the  beginning  of  its  history  it 
had  a  membership  of  four  thousand.  "In  1550,  when 
Edward  VI.  was  on  the  throne,  the  congregation  received 
from  the  government,  for  its  use,  a  building  that  had 
belonged  formerly  to  a  brotherhood  of  the  Augustinian 
order.  The  church  had  the  ministry  of  four  pastors, 
under  the  general  superintendence  of  the  famous  John 
a  Lasco.  When  King  Edward  died  in  1553  and  was 
succeeded  by  Mary,  zealous  for  the  Eoman  Catholic 
faith,  the  church  was  scattered  and  a  Lasco  went  to 
Denmark.  Upon  the  accession  of  Queen  Elizabeth  in 
1558,  the  congregation  was  once  more  restored.  During 
the  terrible  persecutions  in  the  Netherlands  under  Alva, 
it  received  large  increase  from  the  refugees  who  fled  to 
England.     The  church  is  still  in  a  flourishing  condition. 

In  East  Eriesland  is  the  city  of  Emhden.  It  is  called 
the  alma  mater  of  the  Reformed  Church.  When  the 
field-preaching  commenced  in  the  Netherlands,  Laurens 
Jacobs  Eeaal  sent  to  this  place  for  Reformed  pastors  to 
come  and  help  the  struggling  believers  in  the  Nether- 
lands. The  request  was  complied  with,  and  when  the 
calamities  during  Alva's  reign  pressed,  many  of  the  fugi- 
tives found  here  a  very  hospitable  welcome.  In  com- 
memoration of  this  kind  reception  a  large  window  was 
placed  in  the  south  end  of  the  hospital  chapel,  west  of 
the  pulpit.  When  in  1656  it  began  to  show  the  corrosive 
influence  of  time,  it  was  renewed  by  four  Frisians  at 
their  own  expense. 

The  third  place  alluded  to  is  Wezel,  in  Kleefsland,  on 
the  lower  Rhine.  Since  1545,  many  fugitives  had  come 
to  dwell  there.  In  1553,  when  Mary,  daughter  of  Henry 
VIII.,   became   Queen,  and  the  spirit  of  persecution 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  67 

against  the  Protestants  raged  in  England,  the  number 
of  refugees  in  Wezel  wa's  greatly  enlarged.  In  1567, 
when  the  council  of  blood  was  in  session,  the  number 
became  larger  than  at  any  time  previously. 

On  February  24,  1578,  these  refugees,  about  to  return 
to  their  country,  made  a  public  acknowledgment  of  the 
great  hospitality  which  they  had  received  from  the  city. 
An  oration  was  delivered  in  their  name,  addressed  to  the 
members  of  the  town  council,  in  which  mention  was 
made  of  the  kindness  with  which  already  for  thirty  years 
past  the  city  had  taken  the  strangers  from  the  Nether- 
lands to  itself,  as  to  an  asylum.  Its  houses  had  been 
opened  to  them;  for  their  protection  the  citizens  had 
exposed  themselves  to  disfavor  and  even  to  danger;  their 
infirmities  had  been  borne  with  patience;  they  had  been 
aided  with  counsel  and  substance;  they  had  been  de- 
livered from  discomforts;  the  citizens  had  been  to  them 
as  father  and  mother,  relatives  and  friends.  "Your 
city,"  said  the  orator,  "has  truly  been  to  us  a  father- 
land, because  we  were  permitted  with  you  to  live  and 
die,  and  with  you  to  worship  God  in  spirit  and  in 
truth." 

The  oration  was  followed  by  the  presentation  of  "  a 
token  to  posterity  of  the  benefits  that  were  received;  not 
by  way  of  compensation,  but  as  a  sign  or  pledge  of  last- 
ing gratitude." 

The  token  consisted  of  two  massive  silver  vessels,  the 
inner  and  outer  surfaces  of  which  were  richly  gilded, 
and  the  latter  most  artistically  engraven.  Each  cup 
has  a  heavy  silver  cover,  around  the  edge  of  which  is  a 
broad,  flat  band  of  the  same  metal.  On  the  centre  of 
each  cover  stands  the  silver  image  (not  gilded)  of  a  man 
arrayed  in  the  garb  of  a  pilgrim.  The  construction  of 
these  figures  displays  great  art,  even  in  the  details  of 


68    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

the  features  of  the  countenances  and  of  the  lines  of  the 
drapery.  Each  of  the  pilgrim's  holds  in  one  hand  the 
pilgrim's  staff,  and,  with  the  other,  rests  upon  a  silver 
shield.  In  the  case  of  one  vessel  the  inscription  on  the 
shield,  in  Latin,  is:  "  I was  a  stranger  and  ye  tooh  me 
in."  On  the  band  around  the  cover  is  the  following 
sentence,  in  Latin: 

"  The  Netherlander,  having  been  driven  from  their 
fatherland  for  their  confession  of  the  pure  gospel,  have 
presented  to  the  worthy  council  and  to  the  citizens  of 
Wezel,  in  the  eleventh  year  of  their  exile  and  the  fifteen 
hundred  and  seventy-eighth  of  the  birth  of  Christ,  this 
token  of  the  gratitude  of  their  hearts  for  the  hospitalities 
received  by  them/' 

On  the  outer  surface  of  this  vessel  are  engraved  scenes 
from  Bible  history:  Abraham  bestowing  hospitality, 
Gen.  xviii. ;  the  widow  of  Sarepta,  1  Kings  xvii. ;  Zac- 
cheus,  Luke  xix. 

In  the  case  of  the  second  vessel  the  inscription  on  the 
shield  is:  "Preserve,  0  Lord,  famed  Wezel,  the  refuge 
of  thy  church."  The  scenes  from  Bible  history  are: 
Lot  bestowing  hospitality  in  Sodom,  Gen.  xix;  the 
widow  of  Shunem  entertaining  Elisha,  2  Kings  iv. ;  and 
Lydia  showing  kindness  to  Paul,  Acts  xvi. 

These  costly  and  curious  cups,  doubly  precious  for  the 
associations  connected  with  them,  are  still  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  city  which  so  nobly  earned  them,  and  to 
which  they  were  so  graciously  presented. 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  69 


IX. 

THE    FORMATION   OF   A    LITURGY. 

As  a  factor  in  the  spiritual  development  of  the  people, 
the  indispensableness  of  a  liturgy  was  so  early  recognized 
that  its  adoption  was  coincident  with  the  founding  of 
the  Reformed  Church. 

As  three  streams  often  unite  to  form  a  noble  river 
whose  current  flows  on  majestically  toward  the  sea,  so 
there  were  three  liturgies  which  contributed  to  form  the 
regulator  of  divine  service  which,  through  the  centuries 
since  its  adoption  and  with  many  changes,  has  come 
down  to  us.  These  three  liturgies  are  those  of  Geneva, 
London,  and  the  Palatinate. 

In  the  year  1566  the  famous  pastor,  Petrus  Dathenus, 
published  a  volume  which  had  a  preface  addressed  to 
"all  the  churches  and  servants  of  Jesus  Christ  who  sit 
wailing  under  the  tyranny  of  Anti-christ."  It  contained 
his  versification  of  the  Psalms,  the  Heidelberg  Cate- 
chism, which  he  had  translated  from  the  German  into  the 
Dutch  for  the  benefit  of  the  Reformed  Church  of  the 
Palatinate,  and  the  new  Netherland  liturgy  which  he 
had  translated  from  the  same  language  for  the  use  of  the 
Reformed  Church  of  Frankenthal.  The  German  origin 
of  the  liturgy  may  readily  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that 
in  the  "prayer  after  sermon"  the  words  occur,  "espe- 
cially we  pray  for  the  Gracious  Elector,  Duke  Frederick, 
Count  Palatine;  also  for  the  elector's  gracious  spouse; 
also  for  the  young  gentleman,  his  son."  Its  adoption  as 
a  form  of  worship  of  the  Church  in  the  Netherlands,  as 
also  its  formation  at  a  date  previous  to  the  year  1581, 


70  REFORMED   CHURCH  IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

when  the  authority  of  Philip  was  abjured,  appears  from 
the  phrase:  "Also  we  pray  particularly  for  His  Eoyal 
Majesty  of  Spain."  Its  continued  use  is  shown  from  this 
fact,  that  for  nearly  half  a  century  after  the  assertion  by 
the  States  of  their  independence  from  the  yoke  of  Spain, 
there  appeared  side  by  side  with  the  last-mentioned 
prayer,  and  carelessly  enough,  the  petition:  "Also  we 
pray  especially  for  the  noble  and  wise  Lords,  the  States 
General  of  these  United  Netherlands."  Two  years  after 
the  publication  of  this  volume  of  Dathenus,  the  liturgy 
was  incorporated,  in  1568,  with  the  New  Testament, 
translated  into  Dutch  by  John  Uitenhove,  and  annotated 
by  A.  Marloratns. 

In  what  respects  that  liturgy  differed  from  that  which 
the  Reformed  Church  now  has,  may  be  ascertained  by 
a  view  of  its  contents.  These  were  as  follows:  Form  for 
Infant  Baptism;  A  Short  Examination  into  the  faith  of 
those  who  desire  to  join  the  church;  Form  of  administra- 
tion of  the  Lord's  Supper;  Form  for  the  Confirmation  of 
Marriage;  Prayer  before  Sermon  on  Sunday;  Prayer  after 
Sermon  on  Sunday;  Prayer  before  Catechetical  Instruc- 
tion; Prayer  and  Confession  of  Sin  before  Sermon  on 
Week-days;  Prayer  after  such  Sermon;  Prayer  before 
Eating;  Two  prayers  for  the  Sick  and  the  Tempted; 
Prayer  at  the  Burial  of  the  Dead.  There  were  yet  no 
traces  of  the  forms  to  be  used  in  the  Baptism  of  Adults; 
in  the  Ordination  and  Installation  of  Ministers,  Elders 
and  Deacons;  in  prayers  before  and  after  Meetings  of 
Consistory;  in  the  Excommunication  of  the  Delinquent, 
and  the  Re-admission  of  the  Penitent;  in  Giving  of 
Thanks  after  Eating;  and  Instructing  the  Sick  for  their 
better  preparation  for  dying.  The  adding  of  these  forms, 
as  well  as  the  dropping  of  others,  are  among  the  changes 
through  which  the  liturgy  passed  down  to  the  present. 


FOEMATIYE  PEEIOD.  71 

The  sources  of  the  new  Netherland  liturgy  of  1566, 
were  twofold.  In  the  first  place,  it  was  derived  from 
the  liturgy  which  John  a-Lasco  had  composed  for  the 
use  of  the  Church  of  London.  In  its  preparation  he 
was  much  indebted  to  an  older  one  which  came  from 
the  pen  of  Vallerandus  Polanus,  of  the  Walloon  Church 
of  Strasburg,  about  the  year  1549.  By  him  it  was 
brought  over  to  London,  when  his  congregation  fleeing 
from  the  execution  of  the  edicts  of  Charles  V.,  sought 
a  refuge  there.  It  was  published  in  1551.  Alasco's 
Liturgy,  composed  in  1550,  in  the  Latin  language,  was 
published  at  Frankfort  in  1555.  It  bore  the  imposing 
title,  "  Forma  ac  ratio  tota  ecclesiastici  ministerii  in 
peregrinorum,  potissimum  vero  germanorum  ecclesia, 
instituta  Londini  in  Anglia"  In  the  previous  year  it 
had  been  translated  into  Dutch,  by  John  Uitenhove, 
who  was  an  elder  of  the  church  in  London.  Soon  after, 
an  abridgment  of  it  was  made  by  Martin  Micron,  one  of 
the  four  ministers  of  the  Church  in  London,  under  the 
superintendence  of  a-Lasco.  It  was  printed  "out  of 
London"  (presumably  Embden)  by  Cornelis  Volckwin- 
ner,  and  was  called  "The  Christian  Ordinances  of  the 
Netherland  Church  of  Christ,  which  had  been  estab- 
lished in  London  by  the  Christian  Prince,  King  Edward 
VI.,  faithfully  and  most  diligently  compiled,  by  consent 
of  the  ministers  and  elders,  for  the  comfort  and  use  of 
all  believers."  The  "Christian  Ordinances,"  indeed, 
contributed  the  most  toward  the  formation  of  the  new 
Netherlands  Liturgy,  adopted  in  1566. 

The  second  source  of  that  liturgy  was  the  liturgy  of 
the  Palatinate,  which  itself  owed  much,  not  only  to  the 
liturgy  of  London,  but  also  to  the  Calvinistic  liturgy  of 
Geneva;  so  that,  in  respect  to  the  latter  fact,  the  state- 
ment above  made,  that  the  confluence  of  three  streams 


72    REFORMED  CHURCH  IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

produced  this  grand  river  of  our  present  liturgy,  is  sub- 
stantiated. Who  the  authors  were,  of  this  liturgy  of 
the  Palatinate,  is  not  positively  known.  Its  compo- 
sition is  of  the  same  date  with  that  of  the  Heidelberg 
Catechism.  It  owes  its  existence  therefore,  probably, 
to  the  pen  of  Ursinus.  But  that  he  was  aided  in  its 
construction  by  others,  is  evident  from  the  fact  that 
in  the  preface,  written  by  the  Elector  for  the  edition 
of  November  15,  1563,  several  authors  are  spoken  of, 
though  unfortunately  not  by  name. 

As  it  is  with  the  system  of  doctrine  upon  which  the 
Reformed  Church  rests,  so  it  is  with  the  liturgy  by  which 
its  several  congregations  are  unified  in  the  externals  of 
worship;  each  is  the  result  of  progress,  but  in  the  latter 
case,  of  development  as  much  by  subtraction  as  by 
addition. 

That  revision  became  a  necessity  as  the  centuries 
elapsed,  may  readily  be  conceded  upon  the  ground  that 
the  new  Netherland  liturgy,  adopted  at  the  founding 
of  the  Church  in  1566,  had  its  birth  when  that  Church 
had  yet  before  it  an  eventful  history,  both  in  political 
surroundings  and  ecclesiastical  development.  Import- 
ant changes  in  civil  government  until  1795,  when  church 
and  state  were  separated;  decisions  of  consecutive  sy- 
nods; the  new  translation  of  the  Bible  under  the  super- 
vision of  the  States  General;  and  the  carelessness  of 
printers,  occasioned  a  demand  for  corrections:  other- 
wise these  calls  for  them  might  have  been  ascribed  to 
fickleness.  An  example  of  carelessness  is  the  fact  that, 
after  the  authority  of  King  Philip  had  been  abjured  by 
the  States  in  1581,  the  prayer  for  "his  Majesty  of  Spain 
as  the  sovereign  ruler  of  these  countries"  continued  to 
be  read  even  till  the  year  1600. 

In  1591  the  celebrated  Philip  of  Marnix  issued  his 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  73 

versification  of  the  Psalms.  Incorporated  with  it  was 
the  liturgy, — the  results  of  the  Acts  of  the  Synods  of 
Wezel  (1568),  Embden  (1571),  Dordrecht  (1574,  1578), 
Middelburg  (1581)  and  the  Hague  (1586).  From  that 
liturgy  the  prayer  to  be  used  at  funerals  had  fallen 
away, — according  to  an  act  of  the  Synod  of  Middel- 
burg; but,  added  to  the  liturgy  of  1566,  were  the  forms 
of  excommunication,  re-admission,  ordaining  ministers, 
ordaining  elders  and  deacons,  and  consoling  the  sick. 
Besides  these  there  had  been  added  certain  comforting 
texts,  selected  from  the  Old  and  New  Testaments;  a 
second  prayer  after  sermon  on  Sunday;  a  prayer  before 
day-school  instruction;  and  a  watch-prayer;  but  these 
three  prayers  were  dropped  in  1611. 

Just  here  we  may  appropriately  notice  the  discus- 
sions connected  with  the  second  question  in  the  form 
for  infant  baptism.  In  1574  the  Provincial  Synod  of 
Dordrecht  resolved,  that  there  should  be  propounded  to 
parents  and  witnesses  the  question  containing  the  words 
"this  doctrine  which  is  here  taught/'  In  1581  the 
Synod  of  Middelburg  decided  that  this  phrase  might  be 
used  or  omitted,  at  the  pleasure  of  the  officiating  minis- 
ter,— the  motive  being  to  bridge  over  the  gulf  in  the 
Church  between  the  Zwinglians  and  Calvinists.  It  is 
well  to  note,  that  already  at  an  early  period  the  magis- 
trates of  Groningen  forbade  the  three  questions  in  the 
form  of  infant  baptism  to  be  addressed  to  the  parents  or 
witnesses;  which  prohibition  remained  in  force  there 
as  late  as  February  16,  1804. 

The  authors  of  the  form  for  excommunication, 
adopted  in  1581,  and  for  re-admission,  adopted  in  1586, 
are  not  known.  The  same  obscurity  rests  upon  the 
authorship  of  the  form  for  ordination.  For  this  cere- 
mony the  Synod  of  Wezel  (1568)  had  proposed  a  few 
7 


74    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

questions  and  prescribed  the  laying  on  of  hands, — the 
same  form  for  the  ordination  of  ministers  and  of  elders. 
The  ceremonial  received  the  seal  of  synodical  approval; 
from  it  two  liturgies  were  produced,  and  cited  as  well 
known  by  the  Synod  of  the  Hague  (1586).  Three  sol- 
emn questions  were  retained.  They  were  preceded  by 
an  elaborate  statement  of  the  nature  of  the  ministerial" 
and  the  presbyterial  offices.] 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  75 


X. 

THE    SYXOD    OF   WEZEL. 

Ix  the  year  15C8,  when  Alva's  council  of  blood  was 
"  breathing  out  threatenings  and  slaughter  against  the 
disciples  of  the  Lord,"  the  Keformed  Churches,  more 
closely  than  ever  united  in  spirit,  but  driven  about  and 
dispersed,  took  the  touching  name  which  contains  in 
itself  a  volume  of  suffering  and  distressful  history: 
"  Tlie  Netherlands  churches  which  sit  under  the  Cross, 
and  are  scattered  within  and  without  the  Netherlands" 
But  troubled  as  these  churches  were,  they  still  were 
hopeful  and  confidently  looked  forward  to  the  time 
when,  through  the  grace  of  God,  they  should  come  to 
the  free  exercise  of  their  religion.  In  anticipation  of 
this  their  pastors  and  elders  saw  the  necessity  of  organ- 
izing the  several  parts  into  a  harmonious  whole,  so  that 
the  different  congregations  might  constitute  in  the 
aggregate  a  denomination,  having  its  distinctive  doc- 
trinal tenets  and  polity,  and  thus  be  entitled  to  a  place 
in  the  army  of  the  Lord  as  one  of  its  grand  divisions. 
Connected  with  this  design  and  forming  integral  parts 
of  it,  were  numerous  questions  pertaining  to  discipline, 
customs  and  usages,  ritual  of  worship,  relations  to  the 
State  and  to  sister  Protestant  churches,  and  other 
kindred  matters.  These  were  discussed  and  disposed  of 
in  the  several  synods  that  were  held  previous  to  the  cele- 
brated convention  of  1618-1G19,  which  is  known  as  the 
Synod  of  Dort. 

These    preceding   synods  may  be   divided   into  two 


76    REFORMED   CHTTRCH  IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

kinds,  with  reference  to  locality  and  constitutional 
character.  That  is  to  say,  two  of  them  were  held  in  the 
countries  of  exile,  and  the  others  at  home;  some  of 
them  were  National  or  General,  and  the  others  Provin- 
cial or  Particular  Synods.  The  synods  in  exile  were 
those  of  Wezel  (1568),and  Embden  (1571),  both  National. 
Those  held  at  home  were  the  Provincial  Synod  of  Dor- 
drecht (1574),  the  National  Synod  of  Dordrecht  (1578), 
and  the  National  Synod  of  Middleburg  (1581).  At 
these  several  meetings  the  great  work  of  organization 
was  completed.  It  was  decided  that  the  pastors,  who 
were  to  preside  over  the  churches,  should  be  pious  and 
learned  men  and  experienced  in  the  Scriptures;  that  for 
facility  of  mutual  consultation  upon  matters  relating  to 
doctrine,  ritual  and  discipline,  there  should  be  frequent 
meetings  of  representatives  from  contiguous  churches; 
that  schools  should  be  established  for  instruction  in  the 
ancient  languages  of  the  Scripture  and  in  pure  Latin; 
and,  that  matters  of  importance  might  receive  the  kind 
of  attention  they  called  for,  a  number  of  classes  should 
be  constituted  of  the  churches  located  within  certain 
defined  bounds.  The  review  of  the  proceedings  of  these 
conventions  must  be  of  great  interest  to  all  who  are  not 
indifferent  to  the  origin  and  differences  of  the  customs 
of  the  Eeformed  Church  to-day. 

The  National  Synod  which  convened  in  the  city  of 
Wezel,  in  Kleefsland  on  the  lower  Ehine,  met  on 
November  3,  1568.  We  do  not  know  how  long  it  re- 
mained in  session.  It  was  constituted  of  the  representa- 
tives of  about  twenty  churches;  but  of  how  many  from 
each  church  it  is  impossible  to  decide.  The  matter  of 
delegation  was  determined  only  at  a  subsequent  synod. 
Its  proceedings  were  subscribed  to  by  fifty-three  persons. 
The  first  name  on  the  list  is  that  of  Petrus  Dathenus. 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  77 

From  this  fact  it  is  presumed  that  he  was  the  presiding 
officer.  Then  follow  the  names  of  Henry  Moclet;  Zuylen 
Van  Nyeveld,  whose  versification  of  the  Psalms  was 
then  in  use  by  the  Keformed  Church  in  London;  and 
Philip  of  Marnix,  Lord  of  St.  Aldegonde,  eminent  as  a 
soldier,  a  statesman,  a  man  of  letters  and  a  controvertist, 
as  keen,  logical  and  triumphant  as  the  celebrated  author 
of  the  "  Provincial  Letters"  (Pascal). 

Evidently  the  Synod  of  Wezel  determined  that  its  acts 
should  be  of  a  provisional  character  only,  and  prepara- 
tory to  enactments  of  a  more  definite  nature.  Its  posi- 
tive decisions  were  few.  The  confession  of  faith, 
adopted  two  years  before  at  Antwerp,  was  not  even  at 
this  synod  subscribed.  But  it  was  resolved  that  every 
one  who  had  been  lawfully  called  to  the  ministry  should 
be  asked  at  his  examination,  whether  he  agreed  in  every- 
thing with  the  doctrine  that  was  publicly  taught  in  the 
churches,  and  is  contained  in  the  Netherlands  confes- 
sion of  faith  and  in  the  Heidelberg  Catechism.  It  was 
also  decided  that  the  Netherland  Walloon  churches 
should  use  the  catechism  of  Geneva,  but  the  Netherland 
German  churches  that  of  Heidelberg.  Further,  the 
synod  provided  that  in  their  worship  the  churches 
should  employ  the  Dutch  versification  of  the  Psalms  by 
Petrus  Dathenus.  The  bulk  of  its  proceedings  relate  to 
the  definition  of  the  duties  of  church  officers,  of  whom 
it  declared — basing  its  definition  upon  apostolic  pre- 
cepts— that  there  should  be  four  orders,  to  whom  per- 
tain the  care  both  for  the  purity  of  the  ministry  and  the 
conservation  of  morals;  and  to  whom  were  intrusted 
the  sacraments  and  discipline  which,  as  joined  to  the 
Word  of  God,  are  the  lawful  witnesses  of  His  church. 
These  orders  were  the  ministry,  doctors  (teachers), 
elders  and  deacons. 


78    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

Before  a  minister  could  be  installed  he  was  to  be  asked 
in  the  presence  of  the  congregation,  whether  he  solemnly 
covenanted: 

"  That  in  his  ministry  he  would  aim  at  the  promotion 
of  the  honor  of  God,  the  pure  ministry  of  the  Word 
and  the  edification  of  his  church;  that  he  would  not 
bend  the  witness  of  the  Holy  Ghost  to  his  special  de- 
sires; nor  depart  in  the  least  from  the  truth,  for  the 
sake  of  favor,  money  or  fear;  that  he  would  piously 
maintain  the  ordinances  which  pertain  to  the  peace  and 
the  order  of  the  Church;  and  that  he  would  fulfil  his 
office  in  exhorting,  rebuking  and  consoling,  whenever 
there  was  need  of  it,  exclusive  of  all  partiality  or  respect 
of  persons." 

The  Synod  in  connection  with  the  duties  of  ministers, 
uttered  a  word  in  regard  to  the  substance  of  Sermons, 
which  in  these  times  is  of  a  special  significance. 

"  Every  minister,"  it  said,  "shall  try,  according  to 
the  gift  received  from  the  Holy  Ghost,  to  interpret  the 
Scripture  as  plainly  as  possible,  and  to  apply  it  to  the 
understanding  of  his  hearers.  He  must  carefully  avoid 
all  affectation  and  bombast,  to  which  many  are  tempted 
who  wish  to  please  themselves  with  useless  speculations; 
who  wander  from  the  well-defined  design  of  the  Scrip- 
ture; who  s2)ort  with  subtle  allegories;  who  make  a  dis- 
play of  heathenish  testimonies,  and  even  unholy  and 
fabulous  histories;  who  with  more  zeal  than  is  becom- 
ing, seek  for  and  praise  the  utterances  of  the  Fathers; 
who  intentionally  are  obscure  in  phrases  and  words;  and 
finally,  who  arrange  their  sermons  ivitha  vieiv  of  making 
idle  exhibitions.  All  preaching  should  be  directed  to- 
ward two  articles  of  the  gospel— faith  and  repentance. 
With  respect  to  the  former,  hold  up  the  knowledge  of 
Christ;  with  respect  to  the  latter,  true  mortification  and 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  79 

regeneration.  Every  effort  must  be  made  to  lift  up  the 
curtain  that  hangs  before  the  heart,  and  to  look  into  its 
corners.  False  opinions,  heresies  and  bad  morals  must 
be  rebuked.  Rebukes  should  not  be  restricted  to  gross 
crimes  and  open  sins,  but  the  hidden  hypocrisy  must  be 
shaken  out  of  souls,  and  the  nursery  of  the  godlessness, 
pride  and  ingratitude,  which  lie  concealed  in  the  best 
people,  must  be  exposed  and  broken  up.  The  memory 
of  the  hearers  must  not  be  burdened  with  too  long  ser- 
mons; their  zeal  should  not  thus  be  dulled,  nor  should 
they  be  nauseated,  especially  on  the  days  when  they 
should  be  allowed  to  do  their  work  and  to  attend  the 
prophesyings.  Hence  a  sermon  should  not  le  longer  than 
one  hour  /" 

"  Prophesying" — the  men  here  referred  to  made  up 
the  second  order  of  ministry  provided  by  the  Synod  of 
Wezel.  They  were  the  doctors,  on  whom  devolved  the 
duty  "when  the  congregation  was  assembled,  to  explain 
a  text,  as  Paul  had  instituted."  These  men  were  sub- 
ordinate to  the  ministers.  In  every  flourishing  congre- 
gation there  was  to  be  a  college  of  prophets,  who  in  rota- 
tion were  to  instruct  the  congregation  upon  the  contents 
of  a  book  of  the  Bible.  At  one  time  this  was  done  in 
the  Socratic  method  of  questions  and  answers,  but  the 
Synod  decided  that  this  method  should  be  abandoned 
because  it  "ministered  to  strife  and  debate."  That  the 
ears  of  the  people  might  not  be  disturbed  by  a  variety 
of  opinions  upon  doctrinal  matters  in  dispute,  they  were 
to  be  referred  to  these  prophets,  "since  to  them  per- 
tained the  trial  of  spirits  and  doctrines."  In  the  church 
in  London  these  prophesyings  were  held  on  Thursday 
evenings. 

The  elders  were  directed  to  watch  carefully  over 
the  parishes;  once  a  week  to  visit  the  families,  going 


80    REFORMED   CHURCH  IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

from  house  to  house,  especially  at  the  time  of  the 
communion,  and  to  inquire  whether  they  conducted 
themselves  aright,  performed  their  duties,  observed 
family  worship  each  morning  and  evening,  and  sent  the 
children  to  the  catechetical  exercises;  and  to  urge  the 
people  to  steadfastness,  to  strengthen  unto  patience,  to 
stimulate  them  in  the  fear  of  God  and  to  comfort  them 
in  their  sickness.  As  the  occasion  demanded,  the  elders 
were  to  call  their  fellow-elders  together,  especially  those 
who  had  been  appointed  to  rebuke. 

The  ordinance  concerning  the  deacons  was  that  they 
must  minister  at  the  communion  table,  aid  the  poor  and 
collect  the  alms,  exhorting  those  whom  God  had  blessed 
with  temporal  goods  to  contribute  in  behalf  of  the 
needy.  The  Synod  decided  that  in  churches  in  large 
cities  it  would  be  proper  to  have  two  classes  of  deacons. 
To  the  one  class  should  pertain  the  collection  and  dis- 
tribution of  alms;  and,  in  case  any  of  the  poor  had  been 
made  legatees,  these  deacons  were  to  see  to  it  that  the 
legacy  was  obtained  and  paid  over  to  the  proper  persons. 
The  other  class  were  to  secure  for  the  sick,  the  wounded 
and  the  prisoners  the  appropriate  supplies;  and,  that 
they  might  be  able  to  comfort  such  afflicted,  they  were 
to  have  the  qualifications  not  only  of  zeal  and  faithful- 
ness, but  also  of  a  more  than  generalknowledge  of  the 
Word.  These  latter  deacons  were  to  inquire  diligently 
of  the  elders  what  persons  in  their  several  districts  were 
prostrated  with  sickness.  The  sick  themselves,  the 
Synod  said,  ivere  to  inform  the  pastors  of  tlieir  condition, 
so  that  they  might  be  visited  by  them.  In  case,  how- 
ever, that  the  pastors  were  occupied  with  more  import- 
ant business,  the  deacons  by  their  orders  were  to  per- 
form such  visitation. 

There  were  certain  matters  which  this  Synod  declared 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  81 

were  of  an  indifferent  character;  that  is,  they  were  not 
determined  by  apostolic  precept  and  example,  nor  by 
necessity.  Hence,  for  the  purpose  of  avoiding  all 
tyrannizing  over  the  consciences  of  men,  it  would  not 
bind  the  church  by  any  deliverances.  These  matters 
were  of  the  following  description:  whether  in  baptism 
there  should  be  one  or  more  sprinklings;  whether  the 
rite  should  be  administered  before  or  after  the  sermon; 
whether  the  care  of  baptized  children  should  devolve 
upon  the  witnesses,  the  parents  or  the  church;  whether, 
in  the  administration  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  the  elements 
should  be  handed  to  persons  as  they  were  seated  at  the 
table,  or  as  they  in  procession  walked  past  it;  whether, 
during  the  administration,  psalms  should  be  read  or 
sung.  Some  of  these  matters  were  decided  at  subse- 
quent Synods,  whose  proceedings  were  influenced,  not 
only  by  the  progress  of  the  church  in  its  efforts  at  organ- 
ization, but  also  by  the  development  of  the  State  to- 
ward independence  and  the  right  of  self-government. 


82    REFORMED   CHURCH  IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 


XL 


Nearly  three  years  had  passed  since  the  General 
Synod  of  Wezel  in  Kleefsland.  The  condition  of  things 
in  the  church  and  in  the  state  was  about  the  same  that 
it  had  been.  Alva  was  still  ravaging  both,  and  all  who 
could  sought  safety  in  flight.  The  Reformed  "  were 
troubled  on  every  side  yet  not  distressed;  perplexed  but 
not  in  despair;  persecuted  but  not  forsaken;  cast  down 
but  not  destroyed;  always  bearing  about  in  the  body  the 
dying  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  that  the  life  also  of  Jesus  might 
be  made  manifest  in  their  body."  Their  trust  was  not 
to  be  confounded.  The  hour  for  which  they  hoped  and 
prayed,  when  in  their  own  land  they  should  be  per- 
mitted to  worship  according  to  the  dictates  of  their  own 
consciences  enlightened  by  the  Word,  was  even  nearer 
than  they  thought. 

With  a  view  of  being  prepared,  when  that  time  should 
have  come,  to  go  up  and  possess  their  native  land,  it  was 
considered  that  the  interests  of  the  church  would  be 
subserved  by  the  holding  of  another  synod,  for  the  pur- 
pose not  only  of  confirming  the  acts  of  the  preceding 
synod,  but  also  of  making  such  other  enactments  as  a 
riper  experience  and  a  clearer  insight  into  the  future 
seemed  to  call  for.  Accordingly,  a  synod  was  consti- 
tuted, in  1571,  of  "the  churches  which  sit  under  the 
Cross  and  are  scattered  throughout  Germany  and  East 
Friesland."  It  met  on  October  5.  It  cannot  now  be 
told  how  many  churches  were  represented  in  it,  nor  of 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  83 

how  many  members  it  was  composed.  Its  president  was 
Kasper  Van  der  Heyden,  pastor  of  the  church  at  Frank- 
entlial.  The  proceedings  of  this  synod  are  not  as  num- 
erous as  those  of  the  following;  but  this  is  easily  ex- 
plained on  the  ground  that  the  church  was  still  in  exile, 
and  by  reason  of  persecution  could  as  yet  have  only  a 
partial  organization.  What  was  done,  however,  was  of 
considerable  importance. 

In  the  first  place,  the  Confession  of  Faith,  which  had 
not  as  yet  been  subscribed  to  by  the  ministers,  at  this 
meeting  received  the  recognition  of  the  clerical  sign- 
manual.  It  was  resolved  that  the  Confession  should  be 
subscribed  to,  as  a  witness  to  the  concord  between  the 
Netherland  churches  in  regard  to  the  doctrines  which  it 
sets  forth;  that  the  Confession  of  the  Walloon  churches 
should  be  signed,  in  token  of  the  agreement  in  doctrine 
between  the  Netherland  Reformed  Church  and  the 
Walloon  Church;  and  further,  that  all  ministers  who 
were  absent  from  this  synod  were  exhorted  to  concur  in 
the  subscription  to  both  Confessions.  For  the  reason, 
perhaps,  that  the  Confession,  now  for  the  first  time,  was 
publicly  signed  by  the  ministerial  members  of  an  ecclesi- 
astical assembly,  Mosheim  says  in  his  history  (vol.  3,  p. 
182),  that  the  Belgic  Confession  of  Faith  was  published 
in  this  year.  But  this  is  a  mistake.  The  publication 
was  nine  years  earlier. 

It  was  determined,  moreover,  that  the  ministers, 
elders  and  deacons  of  each  church — now  called  Tlie  Con- 
sistory— should  meet  at  least  once  in  each  week  for  the 
transaction  of  business  pertaining  to  that  church.  A 
classical  convention,  composed  of  a  few  churches  con- 
tiguous to  one  another,  should  be  held  once  every  three 
or  six  months;  the  Eeformed  churches  scattered  through- 
out Germany  and  East  Friesland  should  be  in  session 


84    KEFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

every  year;  and  a  national  synod,  composed  of  all  the 
churches,  must  meet  once  in  two  years. 

Further,  the  bounds  were  fixed  of  seven  Classes,  con- 
stituted of  the  churches  in  Germany  and  in  the  Southern 
Netherlands.  The  constitution  of  the  Classes  in  the 
Northern  Netherlands  was  the  work  of  a  later  synod. 
As  indicating  the  places  where  the  refugees  from  the 
Council  of  Blood  found  a  home,  a  glance  at  the  bound- 
aries of  the  Classes  fixed  by  this  synod  is  not  without 
interest: 

I.  Two  churches  of  Frankfort,  the  French  church  of 
Heidelberg,  the  church  of  Frankenthal,  the  church  of 
St.  Lambert,  and  others. 

II.  Two  churches  of  Cologne,  two  of  Aken ;  the 
churches  of  Maastricht,  Limburg,  Nuys,  and  those  in 
the  land  of  Gulick. 

III.  The  churches  of  Wezel,  Emmerik,  and  others  in 
Kleefsland. 

IV.  The  church  of  Embden,  and  the  foreign  ministers 
and  elders  of  Holland,  Brabant  and  West  Friesland. 

V.  Two  churches  of  Antwerp,  and  those  of  Bois  le 
due,  Breda,  Brussels,  and  others. 

VI.  The  churches  of  Ghent,  Oudenaarde,  and  others  in 
East  and  West  Flanders. 

VII.  The  churches  of  Doornik,  Armentieres,  Valenci- 
ennes, and  other  Walloon  churches. 

Acts  and  Resolutions. — To  the  act  of  the  Synod  of 
Wezel,  that  the  French-speaking  churches  should  use 
the  Catechism  of  Geneva  and  the  Dutch-speaking 
churches  that  of  Heidelberg,  it  was  added  that,  if  any 
church  of  the  former  class  used  the  Heidelberg  Cate- 
chism, and  any  of  the  latter  that  of  Geneva,  it  was  not 
by  this  resolution  compelled  to  make  a  change. 

Two  other  resolutions  related,  respectively,  to  the 


FORMATIVE   PERIOD.  85 

calls  made  upon  ministers,  and  to  the  comparative 
standing  of  the  churches  and  their  officers  among  them- 
selves. 

In  reference  to  the  former,  the  Synod  declared  that  a 
pastor  to  preside  over  and  to  minister  to  a  church  must 
be  elected  by  the  consistory,  such  election  being  subject 
to  the  approval  of  the  Chassis  to  which  the  church  be- 
longs; or,  to  that  of  three  ministers  of  neighboring 
churches.  The  call,  having  received  this  approval,  was 
then  to  be  submitted  to  the  church  from  whose  consis- 
tory it  had  issued,  a  period  of  two  weeks  being  allowed 
for  the  bringing  in  of  any  objection  to  it. 

As  to  the  latter — the  comparative  standing  of  churches 
and  their  officers  among  themselves,  it  was  ordained  that 
"no  church  shall  lord  it  over  another  church;  nor  one 
elder  over  another;  nor  one  deacon  over  another  deacon; 
but  every  one  shall  be  on  his  guard  against  the  suspicion 
of,  or  the  temptation  to,  the  exercise  of  dominion." 
This  resolution  doubtless  was  in  support  of  the  Calvin- 
istic  tenet  of  the  parity  of  the  ministry,  and  was  directed 
against  the  introduction  into  the  Reformed  Church  of 
the  polity  favored  by  Zwingle,  on  the  one  hand,  and  that, 
on  the  other,  prevalent  in  the  Church  of  England. 

Six  months  after  the  adjournment  of  this  synod,  a 
turn  in  the  tide  of  affairs  took  place,  most  favorable  to 
the  interests  of  the  Reformed  Church.  The  city  of  Briel 
was  captured  on  April  1,  1572,  and  by  this  success  the 
way  was  opened  for  the  final  triumph  of  the  arms  of  the 
Prince  of  Orange,  and  the  opening  of  the  land  for  the 
return  of  those  who  had  fled  from  persecution  for  con- 
science sake.  Alva  was  recalled  on  December  1,  1573, 
and  with  his  departure  the  reign  of  an  unparalleled 
cruelty  came  to  an  end,  and  the  form  of  liberty,  for 
Church  and  State,  began  to  arise  from  the  dust  from 
which  it  had  been  feared  it  never  would  arise. 
8 


86    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 


XII. 

THE   PROVINCIAL   SYNOD   OF   DORDRECHT. 

The  year  1574  was  one  of  the  most  trying  for  the 
people  of  the  Netherlands.  Alva  had  retired  and  Don 
Louis  de  Requesens,  a  man  who  was  not  the  equal  of  his 
predecessor  in  ferocity,  had  taken  his  place;  but  the 
war,  with  its  unparalleled  cruelty,  was  continuing. 
Haarlem  had  fallen,  and  the  siege  of  Ley  den  was  pro- 
gressing, while  its  citizens  were  reduced  to  such  straits 
of  famine  that  they  devoured  cats,  dogs  and  rats,  ac- 
counting them  great  delicacies. 

On  June  6  the  Regent,  who  had  the  strange  idea 
that  the  people  in  general  were  not  much  concerned 
about  religion,  had  issued  a  proclamation  of  amnesty 
which,  indeed,  was  broader  in  its  application  than  that 
issued  in  1570,  but  excluded  the  Protestant  ministers 
from  its  provisions.  It  had  but  little  effect,  for  the 
people  were  concerned  about  religion,  being  determined 
to  worship  God  according  to  the  dictates  of  consciences 
which  had  received  light  from  the  Word  of  the  Lord. 
Besides,  their  minds  were  filled  with  distrust  of  the 
Spaniards.  The  situation  was  indeed  a  gloomy  one,  but 
— as  the  darkest  hour  of  the  night  is  that  which  pre- 
cedes the  dawn— so  the  period  of  the  greatest  affliction 
endured  by  the  Netherlands  was  that  which  immediately 
went  before  the  deliverance  which  God  intended  to  give. 

That  the  cause  of  the  Reformed  Church,  notwith- 
standing, was  advancing,  is  evident  from  the  fact  that 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  87 

in  this  year  the  first  synod  was  held  in  the  land.  The 
churches  of  Holland  and  Zeeland  met  in  a  Provincial 
Synod  on  June  16,  and  remained  in  session  until  June 
28.  While  its  enactments,  as  regards  the  church  in 
general,  were  in  the  main  in  agreement  with  those  of 
the  Synod  of  Embden,  its  chief  design  was  to  frame 
ordinances  in  the  interest  of  the  churches  of  Holland 
and  Zeeland.  Its  acts  are  ninety-one  in  number  and 
relate  to  a  variety  of  subjects.  The  congregations  in 
these  provinces  must  have  been  numerous,  for  the 
Synod  formed,  of  the  churches  located  in  North  and 
South  Holland  and  Zeeland,  fourteen  Classes.  These 
were  directed,  each  of  them,  to  hold  a  monthly  session. 
Each  Chassis  had  the  right  given  to  it  to  unite  with  it- 
self another  Classis,  whenever  the  circumstances  should 
render  this  advisable;  but  this  union  wras  to  last  only  so 
long  as  a  separate  organization  might  be  rendered  im- 
possible by  the  exigencies  of  the  war.  The  Consistories 
were  to  consist  of  ministers  and  elders  only,  except  in 
cases  where  the  elders  were  few  in  number,  when  the 
deacons  would  be  permitted  to  join  them.  Every  con- 
sistory was  required  to  preserve  a  copy  of  the  proceed- 
ings of  the  Synod  of  Embden,  and  also  of  this  synod. 
Further,  it  was  decided  that  upon  the  members  of  the 
consistory  alone  devolves  the  election  of  a  pastor.  This 
resolution  must  have  contemplated  independence  from 
the  magistrates  in  the  choice  of  a  minister,  and  not  sov- 
ereignty over  the  people;  for  it  was  stipulated,  that  if 
the  male  members  of  the  church  desired  to  participate  in 
such  choice,  they  were  not  to  be  deprived  of  the  privi- 
lege. By  order  of  this  synod  also,  the  consistories  were 
required  to  sign  the  articles  relating  to  the  exercise  of 
ecclesiastical  discipline.  As  to  the  Confession  of  Faith, 
all  the  ministers  were  enjoined  to  subscribe  to  it,  they  at 


88    REFORMED    CHURCH   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

the  same  time  binding  themselves  to  render  obedience 
to  the  Classes.  School  teachers,  also,  were  directed  to 
sign  the  confession.  In  connection  with  the  Confession 
the  Catechism  received  proper  synodical  attention.  Only 
one  Catechism  was  to  be  used,  the  Heidelberg.  It  was 
to  be  preached  from  in  the  afternoon  of  each  Lord's  day 
in  which  the  communion  had  been  administered  in  the 
morning.  The  schoolmasters  also  were  to  instruct  their 
scholars  in  it.  The  contents  of  Article  40  are  very 
curious.  It  was  approved,  that  the  people  shall  be 
taught  in  the  main  from  the  New  Testament.  Ministers 
were  at  liberty  indeed  to  preach  from  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, but  only  upon  consultation  with,  and  by  advice  of 
their  consistories.  In  reference  to  the  topics  of  sermons 
a  prohibition  was  issued  against  the  practice  of  some 
ministers  in  folllowing  the  Romish  priests  in  the  use  of 
what  were  called  dominicalia.  These  were  a  series  of 
texts  taken  from  the  gospels,  which  the  ministers  who 
were  fond  of  them  made  the  basis  of  a  number  of  con- 
secutive Sabbath  morning  discourses.  No  attention  was 
paid  to  this  synodical  prohibition.  At  the  National 
Synod  of  Dordrecht,  in  1578,  the  command  upon  this 
matter  was  changed  into  a  kind  recommendation.  The 
same  action  was  taken  at  Middelburg  in  1581.  By  a 
singular  concession  to  the  popular  wishes,  the  Synod  of 
Drenthe,  held  in  1643,  actually  enjoined  the  use  of  these 
texts  in  the  manner  desired.  There  are  but  few  traces 
of  this  practice  at  the  present  time.  In  public  worship 
the  liturgical  prayers  were  to  be  used,  and  none  others. 
The  psalms  versified  by  Petrus  Dathenus  were  to  be  used 
in  singing,  and  also  the  hymns  in  use  with  the  psalms, 
until  such  time  as  a  National  Synod  should  direct  other- 
wise. In  regard  to  the  musical  part  of  divine  worship, 
this  synod,  as  also  those  of  1578  and  1581,  inveighed 


FOKMATIVE  PEKIOD.  89 

in  very  strong  language  against  the  playing  of  organs 
before,  during  and  after  service.  It  was  said  to  minister 
to  superstition,  and  it  was  denounced  as  a  Jewish,  a 
heathenish,  and  a  Papistical  custom.  In  1589,  this  ques- 
tion gave  occasion  for  a  bitter  dispute  between  the 
ministers  and  the  magistrates  of  Arnheim. 

It  seems  to  have  been  the  custom  in  those  days,  as  it 
is  now  in  many  places,  to  give  notices  from  the  pulpit 
other  than  those  pertaining  to  religious  matters.  The 
sale  and  the  purchase  of  land  were  thus  advertised.  At 
this  synod  there  was  a  protest  against  this  practice, 
which  was  justly  styled  a  profane  and  a  worldly  one, 
and  ministers  were  directed  to  urge  the  magistrates  to 
keep  such  things  out  of  the  churches. 

In  regard  to  baptism,  it  was  decided  that  on  every  oc- 
casion of  its  administration  the  form  still  in  use  should 
be  read,  and  also,  that  the  officiating  minister  should 
besprinkle  the  subject  with  water  only  once. 

The  Reformed  churches  had  been  in  the  habit  of  keep- 
ing Christmas,  Easter  and  Whitsuntide  as  days  of  re- 
ligious worship.  The  synod  enjoined  the  churches  to 
do  this  no  longer,  but  to  be  satisfied  with  Sundays  for 
divine  service.  Ministers  were  permitted,  however,  on 
the  Sundays  preceeding  such  festivals,  to  preach  on  the 
subjects  of  the  Incarnation,  the  Resurrection  and  the 
Descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  people  also  had  a 
custom  of  meeting  for  what  was  called  "evening 
prayers,"  when  the  ministers  presided  and  read  the 
prayers  of  the  liturgy.  In  large  cities  such  meetings 
were  held  every  evening.  The  synod,  deeming  that 
this  practice  was  too  much  like  observing  vespers,  spoke 
against  it.  The  people  valued  these  meetings,  and 
would  not  give  them  up.  In  1619  they  were  finally 
abandoned.     For  the  conservation  of  purity  in  doctrine, 


90    REFORMED    CHURCH   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

ministers  were  directed  to  exhort  the  people,  from  the 
pulpit,  to  be  diligent  in  the  reading  of  the  Bible,  and  to 
avoid  all  heretical  books.  The  enumeration  of  such 
books  by  name  was  to  be  sparingly  done.  The  book- 
sellers, however,  such  as  were  of  the  Reformed  faith, 
were  exhorted  not  to  print  nor  to  sell  such  books.  The 
pastors  were  to  ascertain  in  the  course  of  their  visitation, 
whether  any  families  had  such  books  in  their  houses,  and 
if  so,  to  urge  them  to  put  them  away. 

Against  the  baptisms  and  the  marriages  performed  in 
secret  by  Romish  ecclesiastics,  the  ministers  were  to 
invoke  the  protection  of  the  magistrates.  Lombards 
(money-lenders)  were  not  to  be  admitted  to  the  Lord's 
table.  The  acts  of  the  synod  in  regard  to  Anabaptists 
were  severely  criticised  on  the  ground  of  their  severity, 
which,  it  was  said,  could  not  be  justified  in  view  of  the 
terrible  history  of  the  times.  If  these  Anabaptists  re- 
fused to  take  the  oath  of  obedience  to  the  civil  authority, 
the  magistrates  were  not  to  tolerate  them.  They  were 
to  be  admonished  to  attend  the  Reformed  churches;  and, 
in  case  they  refused  to  have  their  children  baptized,  the 
ministers  were  to  summon  such  persons  before  them, 
and  to  inquire  into  their  delinquency.  The  ministers 
also  were  to  attend  their  assemblies,  and  to  seek  to  con- 
vince them  of  the  evil  of  their  course.  If  any  person 
had  fallen  away  to  the  Mennonites,  he  was  to  be  excom- 
municated. 

The  friction  between  the  ecclesiastical  and  the  civil 
authorities  already  began  to  appear.  This  synod  was 
mainly  composed  of  Calvinists,  to  whom  the  Church  and 
the  State  were  separate  and  distinct  existences.  The 
States,  and  at  the  head  of  them  the  Prince  of  Orange, 
leaned  over  to  the  Zwinglian  views  of  church  govern- 
ment.    The  clashing  between  the  two  opinions  led  to 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  91 

mutual  jealousies.  In  1575  the  Prince  directed  that  no 
consistories  should  be  recognized,  except  such  as  had 
been  approved  and  appointed  by  the  magistrates.  He 
disliked  even  the  name  consistory.  He  feared  that  the 
church  would  arrogate  to  itself  too  much  authority.  He 
said,  that  if  the  pot  of  the  Calvinists  were  to  hang  over 
the  fire  as  long  as  that  of  the  Koman  Catholics  had  hung 
over  it,  it  would  gather  as  much  soot.  Though  he  knew 
of  this  synod,  and  the  States  approved  of  its  being  held, 
yet  when  a  committee  of  two  ministers  of  the  synod 
sought  to  place  a  copy  of  its  acts  in  their  hands,  they 
declined  to  receive  it,  saying,  "When  we  desire  to  see 
it,  we  shall  ask  for  it."  These  mutual  jealousies  were 
yet  to  occasion  much  trouble. 


92    REFORMED   CHUECH  IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 


XIII. 
THE   FIRST   NATIONAL   SYNOD    OF   DORDRECHT. 

After  a  term  of  office  lasting  two  years  and  six 
months,  Don  Louis  de  Requesens  suddenly  died  of  a 
fever,  March  5,  1576.  He  was  succeeded  by  the  young 
Don  John  of  Austria,  with  the  praise  of  whom,  because 
of  a  brilliant  victory  over  the  Turks  in  the  Levant,  the 
whole  of  Europe  was  then  resounding.  On  November 
4  of  that  year,  he  entered  upon  the  regency,  and  on 
November  8  the  treaty  was  signed  which  is  known  as 
"the  Pacification  of  Ghent."  It  was  signed  by  Marnix 
of  Aldegonde,  with  eight  other  commissioners  appointed 
by  the  Prince  of  Orange  and  the  estates  of  Holland,  on 
the  one  side;  and  by  deputies  from  Brabant,  Flanders, 
Artois,  Hainault,  Valenciennes,  Lille,  Douay,  Orchies, 
Namur,  Tournay,  Utrecht  and  Mechlin,  on  the  other 
side.  Of  this  treaty  Motley  observes,  in  his  "  Eise  of 
the  Dutch  Republic"  (vol.  3,  p.  12G),  that  it  was  a  mas- 
terpiece of  diplomacy  on  the  part  of  the  Prince  of 
Orange,  for  it  was  as  effectual  a  provision  for  the  safety 
of  the  Reformed  religion  as  could  be  expected  under  the 
circumstances.  It  was  much,  considering  the  change 
that  had  of  late  been  wrought  in  the  fifteen  provinces, 
that  they  should  consent  to  any  treaty  with  their  two 
heretic  sisters  (Holland  and  Zeeland).  It  was  much 
more,  that  the  Pacification  should  recognize  the  new 
religion  as  the  established  creed  of  these  two  provinces, 
while  at  the  same  time  the  infamous  edicts  of  Charles 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  93 

were  formally  abolished.  The  new  religion  was  firmly 
established  in  the  two  provinces  and  tolerated  in  the 
other  fifteen,  and  the  Inquisition  was  forever  abolished. 

Toward  the  close  of  1577  (Dec.  7th),  Don  John,  by 
resolution  of  the  States,  was  declared  an  enemy  of  the 
land,  and  the  Archduke  Matthias,  a  brother  of  the  Ger- 
man emperor,  was  invited  by  a  number  of  the  Netkerland 
nobles  to  take  his  place,  having  the  Prince  of  Orange 
as  stadtholder  joined  with  him  in  the  government. 
Though  this  measure,  designed  by  a  particular  party, 
was  intended  as  a  limitation  upon  the  authority  of  the 
Prince  and  as  a  check  upon  the  ultra-Reformed,  who 
could  not  listen  to  any  project  which  had  for  its  aim  the 
equal  toleration  of  the  Roman  Catholics  and  the  Protest- 
ants, it  was  not  opposed  by  the  Prince,  who  took  the 
young  archduke  (then  only  twenty  years  of  age)  under 
his  protection.  In  the  meantime,  the  country  was  still 
the  scene  of  dreadful  war  and  suffered  the  numerous  ills 
that  follow  in  its  train.  The  want  of  resolution  and 
the  lack  of  unanimity  on  the  part  of  the  States  brought 
about  the  defeat  of  the  armies  of  the  struggling  prov- 
inces at  Gemblours,  by  which  the  cause  of  Spain  under 
Don  John  gained  new  vigor,  and  much  anxiety  was 
caused  at  Brussels. 

Such  was  the  situation  when  a  National  Synod  was 
held  at  Dordrecht,  June  2-18.  It  was  charged  that  the 
convening  of  this  synod  without  the  lawful  permission 
of  the  States  would  result  in  evil.  From  this  opinion, 
held  by  the  party  which  inclined  to  the  recognition  of 
the  civil  power  in  things  pertaining  to  the  church,  it 
may  readily  be  inferred  that  the  friction  between  the 
church  and  the  state,  so  far  from  having  been  allayed 
since  the  Provincial  Synod  of  Dordrecht  in  1574,  was 
increasing.     The  synod  took  an  independent  stand,  and 


94  REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE   NETHERLANDS. 

declared  that  in  things  ecclesiastical  the  controlling 
power  is  vested  in  the  church  alone.  It  was  disposed, 
however,  to  yield  due  deference  to  the  state  in  respect 
to  matters  that  lie  within  its  sphere.  It  decided  that  in 
cases  in  which  the  interests  of  the  church  and  the  state 
were  both  involved,  the  dispute  arising  from  them 
should  be  brought  to  an  end  at  joint  meetings  of  the 
consistory  of  the  church  and  the  magistrates  of  the 
place.  There  seems  to  have  been  a  concession  to  the 
state  in  the  enactment,  that  a  call  made  upon  a  minister 
must  also  have  the  approval  of  the  magistrates. 

At  this  meeting  the  acts  of  preceding  synods,  in  ref- 
erence to  the  character  and  the  number  of  legislative 
bodies  in  the  Church,  were  confirmed.  In  the  church 
of  Rome  each  episcopal  diocese  was  divided  into  several 
diaconates,  whose  presiding  officers  were  called  decani 
Chris tianitatis,  and  sometimes  jirovisores.  These  diaco- 
nates were  again  divided  into  several  parishes  each, 
whose  priests  held  monthly  meetings  for  the  purpose  of 
consulting  about  the  interests  of  their  charges.  It  is 
thought  that  upon  this  arrangments  as  a  basis,  a  synod 
held  at  Teure,  as  far  back  as  1563,  had  projected  a  sys- 
tem of  government  vested  in  Consistories,  Classes,  Pro- 
vincial Synods  and  National  Synods.  At  the  meetings 
of  such  legislative  bodies,  this  synod  stated,  only  eccle- 
siastical business  should  be  transacted,  and  only  such 
matters  should  be  referred  to  the  next  higher  court  as 
could  not  have  been  disposed  of  in  the  lower.  The  dele- 
gates constituting  those  conventions  above  consistories 
were,  in  the  case  of  the  classes,  a  minister  and  an  elder 
from  each  church;  in  the  provincial  synods,  two  min- 
isters and  two  elders  from  each  of  four  or  five  neighbor- 
ing classes;  and  in  the  National  Synod,  two  ministers 
and  two  elders  from  each  provincial  synod,  including 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  95 

also  the  Walloon  and  the  German  synods — between  whom, 
on  account  of  confusion  often  arising  from  dissimilarity 
of  language,  a  dividing  line  was  now  drawn.  The  dele- 
gates to  these  several  bodies  were  required  to  have 
written  credentials. 

In  addition  to  previous  decisions  relating  to  the  duties 
of  consistories,  classes  and  synods,  this  synod  resolved 
that  each  consistory  should  keep  a  book  in  which  it 
should  record  its  minutes;  the  names  of  the  communi- 
cants of  the  church;  the  baptisms  of  the  children, 
with  the  names  of  the  baptized,  the  names  of  the  parents 
and  the  witnesses,  and  the  time  when  the  rite  was  ad- 
ministered; and  the  marriages.  If  any  one  proposed 
to  unite  with  the  church,  he  was  to  be  examined  pri- 
vately by  the  consistory,  or  by  delegates  from  the  con- 
sistory— the  minister  and  one  elder.  After  examination, 
such  person  was  required  to  state,  either  before  the 
whole  consistory  or  in  the  presence  of  the  congregation, 
after  the  sermon  and  before  the  communion,  that  he 
held  for  truth  the  doctrines  to  which  he  had  made 
profession;  that  he  would  continue  in  these  doctrines, 
and  that  he  submitted  to  the  supervision  of  the  church. 
In  letters  of  dismission  issued  by  any  consistory,  the 
statements  were  to  be  made  that  the  person  concerned 
had  walked  in  a  Christian  manner,  without  giving  offense, 
and  that  he  had  been  diligent  in  attending  the  preaching 
of  the  saving  Word  and  in  observing  the  Sacraments. 

In  reference  to  classes  it  was  decreed  that  each  classis 
should  meet  at  a  previously  designated  place,  every  four 
or  six  weeks.  At  every  meeting  a  new  president  must 
be  appointed  and  a  clerk.  The  same  man,  however, 
was  not  to  be  permitted  to  serve  as  president  at  two 
consecutive  meetings.  At  every  meeting  the  president 
was  to  make  the  following  inquiries  of  the  delegates 


96  REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

from  each  church:  Is  discipline  properly  exercised? 
Does  the  church  suffer  from  the  assaults  of  heretics?  Is 
the  church  harassed  concerning  points  of  doctrine?  Are 
the  schools  and  the  poor  carefully  attended  to?  Did 
the  church  require  for  its  adequate  government  the  aid 
of  other  brethren?  The  importance  of  the  classis  as  a 
supervising  body  was  evidently  on  the  increase. 

Concerning  the  provincial  synods  which  were  to  meet 
once  a  year,  it  was  resolved  that  in  every  case  it  was  to 
partake  of  the  Lord's  Supper  with  the  church  where  its 
meeting  was  held.  The  National  Synod  was  to  convene 
once  in  every  three  years,  and  to  transact  the  business 
which  could  not  have  been  done  at  the  sessions  of  the 
provincial  synods.  This  triennial  arrangement  was  not 
adhered  to  after  the  Synod  of  Middelburg  (1581);  for, 
subsequently  to  the  Synod  of  the  Hague  (158G),  there 
was  no  National  Synod  till  the  great  Synod  of  Dort 
(1618,  1619.) 

Inasmuch  as  some  ministers  had  expressed  the  opinion 
that  they  were  not  bound  by  the  Confession  of  Faith,  but 
had  a  right  to  depart  from  it — particularly  as  regards 
Articles  16  (Of  Eternal  Election),  and  35  (Of  the  Holy 
Supper  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ) — this  synod,  and  also 
that  of  1586,  felt  compelled  to  take  stringent  measures. 
It  was  resolved  that  the  professors  of  theology  and  the 
elders  of  the  churches  should  sign  it.  The  Synod  of 
1586  added  to  these  the  schoolmasters,  and  declared  that 
if  any  minister  or  professor  refused  to  subscribe  it,  he 
should  be  deposed  from  his  ofiice. 

A  previous  enactment  in  reference  to  Christmas, 
Easter  and  Whitsuntide  was  confirmed  by  this  synod; 
and  regret  was  expressed  at  the  stand  taken  on  this  sub- 
ject by  the  magistrates,  who,  it  was  said,  by  their  ordi- 
nance forbidding  any  manual  labor  to  be  performed  on 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  97 

these  days,  gave  aid  to  superstitious  practices.  As  it 
was  impossible  to  stem  the  stream  of  the  popular  wishes 
in  regard  to  keeping  these  feast-days,  the  Synod  of  the 
Hague  in  1586  declared,  that  if  they  must  be  kept  at  all 
hazards,  then  with  as  much  solemnity  as  possible. 

A  resolution  was  also  adopted  prohibiting  the  ringing 
of  church  bells  at  funerals,  but  to  this  resolution  no 
heed  whatever  was  given. 

Three  days  after  the  adjournment  of  this  synod,  on 
June  21,  a  petition  for  liberty  in  religion  for  all  was 
handed  to  the  Archduke  Matthias  and  the  Council  of 
State.  It  was  composed  by  the  consent,  and  probably 
somewhat  under  the  supervision,  of  this  synod.  It  is 
a  remarkable  document,  in  which  comjilaints,  arguments 
and  bold  requests  are  artfully  blended.  At  the  close  it 
was  asked  that  "both  religions  might  be  tolerated,  until 
it  should  please  God  to  equalize  all  conflicting  views 
which  exist  in  the  land  on  the  subject  of  religion,  by 
means  of  a  good,  a  holy,  and  a  quite  general — or,  at 
least,  a  national— council."  Two  weeks  later,  a  petition 
of  like  import  was  handed  in,  wherein  the  statement 
was  made,  that  while  the  liberty  of  the  Protestant  wor- 
ship was  asked  for,  there  was  no  disposition  to  interfere 
with  others  who  held  to  the  faith  of  Eome.  In  response, 
certain  concessions  were  made  in  the  form  of  "  a  treaty 
of  religious  peace,"  by  the  terms  of  which,  though  ap- 
parently diverging  from  the  Pacification  of  Ghent,  it 
was  hoped  that  the  Northern  and  the  Southern  Nether- 
lands might,  both  in  their  religious  and  political  inter- 
ests, be  kept  united.  This  treaty  gave. great  offence 
to  the  Ultra-Reformed,  who  could  not  endure  the  idea 
even  of  extending  such  permissive  support  to  the  Romish 
cause.  Petrus  Dathenus,  who  was  then  pastor  at  Ghent, 
went  so  far  as  to  say  from  the  pulpit,  that  the  points  in 
9 


98  KEFORMED   CHURCH  IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

the  treaty  relating  to  the  practice  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
religion  were  ungodly,  and  that  the  Prince  of  Orange, 
who  favored  the  treaty,  had  neither  God  nor  religion. 
That  this  intolerant  spirit  on  the  part  of  some,  who  were 
leaders  at  the  time  in  the  Reformed  Chnrch,  had  a  bane- 
ful effect,  interfering  with  its  highest  prosperity,  may 
readily  be  conceded. 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  99 


XIV. 

THE  SYISOD  OF  MIDDELBURG. 

During  and  immediately  after  the  year  1578,  in  which 
the  National  Synod  of  Dordrecht  was  held,  the  histories 
of  the  Church  and  State,  which  in  the  Netherlands 
ran  in  parallel  lines,  became  exceedingly  complicated. 
Under  the  tremendous  pressure  of  a  conflict  with  the 
mighty  Spanish  empire,  the  Prince  of  Orange  attempted 
to  invoke  the  aid  of  neighboring  potentates.  Some  of 
the  nobles  had  invited  the  Archduke  Matthias,  brother 
of  the  German  Emperor,  to  take  conjointly  with  Prince 
William,  the  place  of  Don  John  of  Austria.  The  Prince 
for  some  time  had  turned  his  eyes  toward  France,  and 
was  in  favor  of  negotiating  with  Francis,  a  brother  of 
King  Henry  III.,  and  Duke  of  Alencon  and  Anjou, 
whose  domain  was  so  situated  that,  according  to  the  side 
which  he  took,  he  could  greatly  benefit  or  injure  the 
Netherlands.  Though  the  Archduke  Matthias,  a  ma- 
jority of  the  States,  and  the  Protestants  generally,  were 
opposed  to  him,  he  was  called,  on  August  13,  1578,  to 
assume  the  office  of  Protector  of  the  liberties  of  the 
Netherlands  ;  a  promise  having  been  given  him  that,  in 
case  of  a  change  of  sovereigns,  the  Provinces  would  sub- 
mit to  him  in  the  place  of  King  Philip. 

But  Anjou  was  a  Eoman  Catholic.  The  fear  of  French 
influence,  and  the  desire  of  the  Protestants  to  have 
among  them  one  of  the  most  zealous  of  the  Eeformed 
foreign  princes,  led  the  ultra-Keformed  party  to  invite 


100  REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

John  Oasimir,  second  son  of  the  Elector  Frederic  III.  of 
the  Palatinate.  His  arrival,  which  was  supported  by 
Queen  Elizabeth  of  England,  awakened  the  suspicion  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  party.  It  thus  tended,  as  Prince 
William  had  predicted,  toward  a  separation  between 
the  Northern  and  the  Southern  provinces;  which,  but 
for  the  fact  that  the  vacillation  of  Philip  rendered  the 
best  efforts  of  his  general  futile,  would  have  resulted  in 
the  re-conquest  of  the  land  and  its  second  subjection 
to  the  Spanish  power.  On  Jan.  5,  1579,  the  treaty  of 
Atrecht  was  signed  between  Hainault,  Artois  and  Door- 
nik  in  behalf  of  the  maintenance  of  the  Roman  Catho- 
lic religion;  and  on  Jan.  23,  that  of  "the  Union  of 
Utrecht"  between  Holland,  Zeeland,  Utrecht  and  a  por- 
tion of  Gelderland,  by  which  the  establishment  of  liberty 
of  religion  was  recognized  in  Holland  and  Zeeland,  and 
it  was  agreed  that  in  the  other  provinces,  upon  the  terms 
of  "  the  religious  peace,"  the  Roman  Catholic  or  the 
Protestant  religion  should  prevail  upon  the  petition  of 
one  hundred  families. 

In  this  year  (1579),  Alexander  Farnese,  Prince  of 
Parma,  a  son  of  the  former  regent  Margaret,  \vras  ap- 
pointed to  the  regency  by  King  Philip.  His  singular 
abilities,  as  a  general  and  a  statesman,  made  him  an 
enemy  formidable  enough  to  be  opposed  by  the  States 
when  most  closely  united  ;  and,  in  case  of  divisions 
between  them,  rendered  their  situation  still  more  pre- 
carious. The  history  of  the  complications  to  which 
these  divisions  gave  rise,  and  which  were  made  still  more 
dangerous  by  the  treason  of  some  who  had  pretended 
friendship  for  the  state  and  the  cause  of  the  Reformation, 
cannot  here  be  given  in  detail.  But  out  of  this  confusion 
God  brought  safety,  that  it  might  appear  all  the  more 
that  the  final  triumph  was  not  of  man  but  of  Him. 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  101 

Under  the  circumstances  thus  briefly  described,  the 
National  Synod  of  Middelburg  was  held  in  the  year 
1581,  during  the  months  of  May  and  June.  The  rela- 
tion between  the  Church  and  the  State  had  not  yet  been 
settled.  A  strict  line  of  demarcation  between  them — or 
a  general  supervision  of  the  latter  oyer  the  former — or  a 
recognition  of  the  authority  of  the  latter  in  some  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  the  former — had  each  its  supporters. 
In  organizing  this  synod  the  States  were  asked  to  send  a 
delegation,  to  aid  in  determining  what  might  be  of  value 
to  the  church  and  not  contrary  to  the  interests  of  the 
State.  The  reply  of  the  States  was,  that  they  did  not 
disapprove  the  holding  of  a  synod,  but  they  would  not 
send  delegates,  trusting  that  what  should  be  done  would 
be  to  the  honor  of  God  and  for  the  edification  of  the 
Church.  Many  were  of  the  opinion  that  the  Church  was 
extending  its  authority  too  far,  and  it  is  thought  that 
the  refusal  of  the  States  to  send  representatives,  was 
owing  to  a  secret  purpose  of  framing  a  code  of  laws  for 
the  government  of  the  Church,  the  imposition  of  which 
could  be  delayed  until  a  suitable  time. 

The  synod,  however,  intended  to  maintain  its  inde- 
pendence in  things  ecclesiastical,  for  it  decided  that  the 
authority  of  the  State  should  not  be  recognized  in  the 
election  of  ministers,  nor  in  that  of  elders  and  deacons. 
Still,  the  prevalence  of  the  Zwinglian  views  of  govern- 
ment can  be  seen  from  the  fact  that  it  was  seriously  pro- 
posed to  establish  some  kind  of  a  superintendence — part 
ecclesiastical  and  part  civic — senatus  ex  ecclesiasticis  et 
jjoliticis.  Nevertheless,  after  some  discussion,  the  Cal- 
vinistic  view  prevailed;  and  it  was  resolved  that  on  the 
whole,  this  kind  of  mixed  supervision  had  better  be 
avoided.  A  dispute,  arising  from  the  same  unsettled 
relation  between  the  Church  and  the  State,  came  to  a 


102  REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

head  at  this  time.  Since  1578  there  had  been  a  strife 
between  Kasper  Koolhaas  and  Peter  Peterson,  two  pas- 
tors of  Reformed  churches  in  Leyden.  The  former  held 
that  the  civil  power  should  be  recognized  so  far,  that 
there  should  be  no  appointment  of  elders  and  deacons 
before  their  names  had  been  submitted  to  the  magistrates 
for  their  approval.  Peterson  opposed  him,  and  declared 
that  the  appointment  should  be  independent  of  the  mag- 
istracy. Hence  a  fierce  conflict  arose  between  the  two  men, 
which  so  affected  the  churches,  that  for  a  year  and  a  half 
there  was  no  communion  service  at  Leyden,  and  .at  the 
first  Lord's  Supper  after  that  period,  only  one  hundred 
persons  participated.  The  magistrates  deposed  Peterson 
from  his  ministry,  but  not  with  the  approbation  of  the 
Prince  and  the  States,  who  advised  his  restoration.  At 
this  synod  the  writings  of  Koolhaas  were  declared 
heterodox.  Thus  another  blow  was  struck  for  the  in- 
dependence of  the  Church. 

The  subscription  to  the  Confession  again  come  up.  It 
was  resolved  that  ministers,  elders  and  deacons,  professors 
of  theology  and  schoolmasters  must  sign  it.  As  indica- 
tive, perhaps,  of  a  secret  hostility  to  the  acts  requiring 
such  signature — if  not  to  the  Confession  itself — is  the 
fact  that  some  ministers  present  at  this  synod  appeared 
to  know  nothing  about  this  symbol,  exclaiming,  "  What 
Confession  of  thirty-seven  articles  is  this?" 

The  question  was  asked,  whether,  instead  of  the  cate- 
chism, some  other  topic  for  a  thanksgiving  discourse 
might  not  be  preached  from,  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
Sunday  that  the  Lord's  Supper  had  been  administered  in 
the  morning.  It  was  resolved  that  this  might  be  left  to 
the  option  of  each  minister. 

In  the  liturgical  form  for  the  excommunication  of  a  de- 
linquent, obdurate  member,  it  was  resolved  to  insert  the 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  103 

phrase,  "  We  give  him  over  to  Satan."  This  brings  us 
to  notice  the  recommendation  to  abandon  a  singular 
practice,  which  hitherto  had  been  prevalent,  viz.,  the 
exhibition,  at  each  Sunday  service,  of  the  possession  by 
the  pastor  of  the  Power  of  the  Keys.  This  advice  was 
grounded  on  the  opinion,  that  the  very  preaching  of  the 
Gospel  demonstrated  the  possession  of  this  power  by  the 
ecclesiastical  authorities. 

Because  of  the  interest  that  attaches  to  it,  we  give  the 
account  of  the  church-service  as  conducted  at  that  time 
in  the  Church  of  London,  and  with  slight  modifications, 
everywhere  in  the  Reformed  Churches. 

The  congregation  having  assembled,  the  minister 
entered  the  pulpit,  and  by  a  short  address  prepared  the 
Christian  brothers  and  sisters  for  the  offering  of  a  solemn 
prayer.  For  this  prayer  there  was  a  form — the  same  which 
is  to  be  found  in  the  present  liturgy,  designated  as  the 
one  to  be  used  before  the  teaching  from  the  catechism. 
After  this  prayer  a  psalm  was  sung.  The  minister  then 
announced  his  text,  and  preached  a  sermon  from  it. 
This  text  did  not  consist  of  one,  two,  or  three  verses, 
but  of  an  entire  argument,  or  of  a  complete  history.  The 
minister  sometimes  would  take  a  whole  book  of  the 
Bible — as,  for  example,  .the  epistle  to  the  Romans — 
which  he  explained  in  a  few  discourses  on  successive 
days,  and  which  he  applied  to  the  hearts  of  the  people 
in  an  expostulatory,  hortatory,  minatory,  or  consolatory 
method.  These  homilies  partook  of  the  nature  of  the 
Bible-readings  of  our  day.  Each  of  them  lasted  one 
hour.  After  the  sermon,  the  minister  announced  the 
notices,  but  such  only  as  related  to  the  public  worship. 
A  short  liturgical  prayer  was  next  offered.  Then  the 
law  of  the  Ten  Commandments  was  read,  in  a  very 
impressive  manner,  and  the  minister  took  occasion  to 


104  REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

stimulate  his  congregation  to  the  confession  of  sin  and 
to  the  desire  for  grace  and  pardon.  This  was  followed 
by  his  reading,  as  the  mouth-piece  of  the  congregation, 
a  liturgical  prayer  in  which  confession  was  made  and 
pardon  implored.  Next  in  order  was  the  uttering  by 
the  minister,  in  virtue  of  his  official  investiture  with  the 
power  to  open  and  close  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  the 
following  sentences  in  a  very  solemn  manner: 

"Since  it  has  pleased  God  to  receive  in  mercy  the 
sincerely  penitent  sinners  who  confess  their  sins,  and  on 
the  contrary  to  abandon  to  themselves  the  obstinate  sin- 
ners who  hide  or  excuse  their  sins,  I,  out  of  the  word  of 
the  Lord,  announce  to  the  penitent  who  put  their  trust 
in  Christ  alone,  that  through  His  merits  all  their  sins 
are  forgiven  in  Heaven,  Amen;  but  to  as  many  as  there 
may  be  among  you  who  will  not  confess  their  sins  and 
reform  (and  even  if  they  do  confess  them,  seek  another 
help  unto  their  salvation  than  the  only  merit  of  the 
righteousness  of  Christ  our  Lord)  and  thus  love  dark- 
ness more  than  light — 7,  also  out  of  the  word  of  God, 
announce  that  in  heaven  all  their  sins  are  bound,  and 
shall  not  be  unbound  until  they  repent." 

Then  came  the  reading  of  the  Apostles'  Creed,  to  the 
end  that  every  one  might  try  himself  whether  he,  too, 
could  say  from  the  heart,  "  I  believe,"  and  could  assure 
himself  of  the  pardoning  grace  of  God.  A  general 
prayer,  as  it  was  called,  followed;  in  which  the  interests 
and  the  needs  of  the  church  were  remembered,  and  in- 
tercessions were  made  for  governments,  the  persecuted 
brethren,  and  the  sick  and  the  dying  of  the  congrega- 
tion. This  prayer  was  the  longest  of  all  and  ended  with 
the  Lord's  prayer.  After  the  singing  of  a  psalm,  in 
which  a  precentor  led,  the  minister  commended  the  poor 
to  the  charities  of  the  church.     The  deacons,  standing 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  105 

at  the  doors  of  the  church,  collected  the  alms,  and  the 
congregation  was  dismissed  with  the  Old  Testament 
priestly  blessing. 

About  a  month  after  the  adjournment  of  this  synod, 
on  July  26,  1581,  the  authority  of  Philip  II.  was  ab- 
jured by  the  Netherlands,  and  their  independence  from 
the  yoke  of  Spanish  tyrauny  asserted.  "  We  reject  the 
King/'  wrote  Marnix  of  St.  Aldegonde,  "  because  he, 
the  sworn  enemy  of  the  true  religion  and  of  the  Word  of 
God,  intends  to  retain  dominion  over  the  land  on  no 
other  condition  than  to  be  permitted  to  destroy  the 
Kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ."  The  Reformed  religion  had 
become  the  established  form  of  worship,  at  least  in  the 
Northern  provinces.  The  history  of  the  Church  between 
this  year  and  1618,  when  the  great  National  Synod  of 
Dort  was  held,  shows  a  variety  of  fortunes;  but,  in  the 
main,  it  is  that  of  a  career  of  progress.  The  formative 
period  of  the  Reformed  Church  came  to  an  end  with  the 
Synod  of  Middleburg.  During  the  two  and  a-half  cen- 
turies that  it  lasted,  notwithstanding  the  retarding  and 
often  the  opposing  influence  of  those  most  benefited  by 
it,  the  results  attained  were  such  that  the  reflecting 
mind  must  exclaim:  "  What  hath  God  wrought!" 


DEFENSIVE    PERIOD. 


KpatGoixav   rrjS   opioXoyiaS. 


I. 

A    PREPARATORY   SURVEY. 

The  war  between  Spain  and  the  Netherlands,  which  re- 
sulted in  the  political  independence  and  the  religious  lib- 
erty of  the  latter,  is  said  to  have  lasted  eighty  years. 
Still,  it  had  a  break  in  it  of  twelve  years.  At  a  conven- 
tion held  at  Antwerp  on  April  9,  1609,  the  deputies 
from  the  contending  parries  agreed  upon  an  armistice. 
Prince  William  of  Orange  had  been  murdered  at  Delft 
on  July  10,  1584,  and  had  been  succeeded  by  his  eldest 
son  Maurice,  one  of  the  ablest  generals  of  his  age.  The 
earl  of  Leicester,  who  represented  in  the  Provinces  the 
authority  and  the  interests  of  Queen  Elizabeth  of  Eng- 
land, whose  aid  had  been  invoked,  had  gathered  from 
his  administration,  which  lasted  till  1587,  only  pressing- 
care  and  bitter  mortification.  The  worthy  antagonist 
of  Maurice  in  the  field  was  the  Italian,  Ambrosius 
Spinola.  Olden-Barneveldt,  whose  tragic  end  was  only 
ten  years  off,  was  the  distinguished  Chief  Counsellor  of 
State.  The  States,  while  still  appearing  to  invite  the 
support  of  their  powerful  neighbors,  were  becoming 
more  and  more  self-sustaining.  The  conflict,  the  aim  of 
which,  on  the  part  of  Spain,  was  to  bring  her  daring  de- 
pendencies back  to  their  allegiance,  had  been  maintained 
with  varying  fortune  during  the  eleven  years  following 
the  death,  in  1598,  of  Philip  II.,  who  had  entered  upon 
10 


110  REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

it  at  the  very  beginning  of  his  reign.  The  cessation  of 
arms  which  the  exhaustion  of  both  the  contending 
hosts,  produced  by  their  great  and  continuous  exertions, 
loudly  called  for,  was  resolved  upon  after  a  prolonged 
discussion  of  several  important  questions,  such  as  the 
recognition  of  the  freedom  of  the  republic,  the  trade 
with  the  East  Indies,  and  the  relative  condition  of  the 
Roman  Catholics.  The  longing  for  a  short  respite  from 
the  struggle  was  intense  enough  to  facilitate  the  settle- 
ment of  these  matters.  The  conclusion  adopted  in  re- 
gard to  them  was  in  the  main  advantageous  to  the  inter- 
ests of  the  Netherlands. 

This  short  hush  in  the  tumults  of  war,  this  semblance 
of  a  peace  which  neither  side  would  make  permanent 
by  wholly  yielding  that  for  which  it  fought,  was  in  the 
Netherlands  disturbed  by  divisions  at  home  and  by  a 
most  bitter  strife  of  a  politico-religious  character.  The 
truth,  which  had  been  wrested  from  the  iron  grasp  of 
Borne,  had  to  be  defended  against  teachers  within  the 
Reformed  Church  itself.  Many  persons  who  had  left 
the  Romish  communion  had  united  with  the  Reformed 
Church,  though  they  differed  from  it  on  important 
topics  of  doctrine  and  government.  Between  these  and 
the  church  of  their  adoption  which,  as  regards  its  sym- 
bols and  polity,  had  become  thoroughly  Calvinistic,  there 
was  a  friction  which  prevented  a  genuine  attachment 
and  speedily  led  to  a  conflict  by  which  the  Reformed 
were  compelled  to  assume  an  aggressively  defensive  atti- 
tude. The  doctrine  of  predestination,  which  defies  the 
power  of  the  human  intellect  to  grasp  it,  was  regarded 
as  furnishing  a  suitable  ground  of  attack.  The  aggres- 
sion began  and  was  pursued  the  more  confidently  in  an- 
ticipation of  encouragement  from  the  civil  power  which, 
pervaded  with  the  Zwinglian  view  of  the  supremacy  of 


DEFENSIVE   PEKIOD.  Ill 

the  State  over  the  Church,  was  well  pleased  to  have  its 
authority  fully  recognized  in  all  ecclesiastical  matters. 

The  doctrine  in  question,  as  stated  in  Art.  16  of  the 
Confession  of  1562,  declared  that  "  God  manifests  him- 
self as  merciful,  since  He  delivers  and  preserves  from 
perdition  all  whom  He,  in  his  eternal  and  unchangeable 
counsel  of  mere  goodness  has  elected  in  Christ  Jesus  our 
Lord,  without  any  respect  to  their  works  ;  as  just,  in 
leaving  others  in  the  fall  and  perdition  wherein  they 
have  involved  themselves."  The  attempt  was  made  by 
some  to  throw  around  this  doctrine  the  shades  of  un- 
certainty. By  others  it  was  openly  denied.  All  who 
rejected  it,  except  the  few  who,  though  they  could  not 
subscribe  to  it,  were  too  serious  to  treat  any  matter  per- 
taining to  religion  in  any  spirit  other  than  that  of  rev- 
erence, held  it  up  to  ridicule  and  contempt. 

The  resistance  to  which  the  Reformed  were  impelled, 
was  based  upon  their  convictions.  They  clung  to  this 
doctrine,  not  for  its  own  sake,  nor  because  they  claimed 
that  even  a  believer,  taught  of  God,  was  able  to  compre- 
hend it,  nor  because  they  were  disposed  to  overvalue 
any  symbol  or  form  of  merely  human  construction. 
They  were  determined  to  defend  it  because  of  its  rela- 
tion to  the  free  grace  of  God  ;  to  the  justification  of  the 
sinner  through  faith  alone;  to  the  entire  gospel  which 
loses  its  substance  through  the  elimination  of  the  truths 
comprised  in  this  article  of  faith  gathered  from  the  re- 
vealed Word.  They  felt  that  they  were  bound  to  uphold 
it  for  the  sake  of  maintaining  the  unsearchable  ways  of 
God  which  are  His  as  well  as  those  which  men  can 
search  out,  and  for  the  unification  of  the  Church  for 
the  establishment  of  which  life  and  treasure  had  been 
freely  sacrificed. 

When  they  who,  marching  under  a  banner  inscribed 


112  REFORMED    CHURCH   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

with  the  words  "  Down  with  predestination"  against  the 
fortress  of  evangelical  truth,  were  the  avowed  support- 
ers of  the  ideas  that  justification  comes  by  meritorious 
faith ;  that  our  race  possesses  a  free  will  to  do  what  is 
good ;  that  the  believer  cannot  obtain  assurance  of  his 
salvation  ;  and  that  the  civil  authority  has  the  right  to 
dispose  at  its  pleasure  of  the  affairs  which  pertain  to  the 
church  only,  the  soldiers  who  held  that  fortress  felt 
urged  to  man  the  walls  with  renewed  zeal  and  vigilance 
and  to  improve  every  favorable  opportunity  for  sallying 
out  against  the  besieging  army.  The  conflict  was  to  be 
regretted  for  the  reason  that,  on  the  part  of  the  pro- 
fessed followers  of  the  Prince  of  Peace  who  should  have 
dwelt  together  in  brotherly  love,  there  was  an  exhibition 
of  those  passions  which  cannot  be  stirred  up  without 
expelling  joy  and  peace  in  the  Holy  Ghost  from  the 
heart.  But,  much  as  this  was  to  be  regretted,  it  could 
have  been  expected.  The  doctrine  which  wTas  made  the 
rallying-cry  of  its  opponents  is  always  a  stumbling-block 
to  some.  When  it  is  torn  out  of  its  relation  to  other 
truths  and  presented  in  a  deceptive  light,  men  may  be 
justified  in  denouncing  it,  for  then  it  may  lead  to  care- 
lessness, profanity  and  despair  ;  it  may  prove  a  pillow 
of  ease  for  the  flesh  and  a  help  to  the  devil ;  it  may 
become  a  tenet  that  makes  God  the  author  of  sin  and 
a  tyrant,  and  a  heartless  warrant  for  the  everlasting 
destruction  of  the  infants  whom  death  removes  from  the 
mother's  arms.  But,  as  set  forth  in  the  confessions  of 
the  French  Eeformed  Church  (Art.  12),  the  English 
Church  (Art.  17),  the  Swiss  Church  (Art.  10),  and  the 
Church  of  the  Netherlands  (Art.  16),  and  ascribing  all 
the  glory  of  our  redemption  to  God  alone,  it  is  an  ab- 
surdity only  to  those  whose  every  thought  is  not  subject 
to  the  Word  of  the  Lord. 


DEFENSIVE   PERIOD.  113 

The  interest  in  the  discussion  pervaded  all  classes, 
from  the  highest  to  the  lowest,  and  the  spirit  of  it 
affected  the  entire  religious,  political,  and  social  fabric. 
The  universities,  the  pulpits,  the  fishermen's  smack  far 
out  on  the  sea,  the  harvest  fields  of  the  lowlands,  huck- 
sters' stalls,  and  counting-houses  were  all  the  scenes  of 
heated  debate.  Prince  Maurice  on  the  tented  field  and 
Olden-Barneveldt  in  his  cabinet  were  as  much  occupied 
with  this  theme  as  the  professors  at  Leyden,  but  the 
interest  felt  in  the  discussion  of  it  extended  also  to  the 
humblest  mechanic  at  his  bench,  the  smallest  trades- 
man in  his  shop,  and  even  the  mendicant  on  his  daily 
round. 

Illustrative  of  the  share  taken  by  the  lower  classes  in 
the  differences  by  which  the  theologians  were  divided 
into  two  distinct  parties,  is  the  fact  that  the  captain  of 
a  fishing-boat  fastened  on  his  flag,  underneath  the  arms 
of  the  house  of  Orange,  the  lines: 

11  Sooner  than  to  the  Arminians  yield, 
We'll  join  our  Prince  Maurice  and  take  the  field," 

and  also  the  incident  related  by  Professor  Alting,  of 
Heidelberg,  to  some  of  the  delegates  to  the  great  Synod 
of  Dordrecht.  He  said  that  one  day  in  Amsterdam  he 
saw  a  man  on  a  cart  driving  through  the  street.  Sud- 
denly the  horse  balked.  "  I  know  what  ails  thee,"  said 
the  angry  driver;  "thou,  too,  art  an  Arminian  ;  thou 
thinkest  thou  hast  a  free  will  of  thine  own,  but  I  shall 
soon  beat  it  out  of  thee  ;"  whereupon  he  whipped  the 
poor  beast  unmercifully.  In  the  same  spirit  a  black- 
smith, accompanied  by  some  rough  men,  once  followed 
Episcopius  for  some  distance  through  the  streets  of 
Leyden,  exclaiming,  "Such  people  should  be  hung!" 


114  REFORMED   CHURCH  IN  THE   NETHERLANDS. 

An  intense  desire  came  to  be  fostered  in  the  minds  of 
all  that  the  troubles,  which  for  some  time  had  disturbed 
the  Church  and  the  State — then  mutually  interpenetrat- 
ing powers — might  be  settled  by  a  great  National  Synod, 
and  the  system  of  evangelical  truth,  as  held  by  the 
Reformed  Church,  authoritatively  cleared  of  the  errors 
which  it  was  attempted  to  fasten  upon  it.  Shortly  after 
the  Synod  of  the  Hague  in  1586,  opinions  had  been 
uttered  at  variance  with  the  doctrines  and  the  polity  of 
the  Eeformed  Church.  When,  then,  Arminius,  from 
his  professorial  chair  at  Leyden,  openly  expressed  views 
which  were  decided  departures  from  the  symbols  of  that 
Church,  there  was  an  eruption  of  the  volcano  whose 
fires  had  been  smouldering  for  some  time.  Hence  a 
true  view  of  this  defensive  period  requires  that  we  look 
back  at  the  lives  of  the  forerunners  of  the  errorists 
against  whom  the  Synod  of  Dordrecht  proceeded. 

In  the  description  of  that  period,  we  propose  to  fur- 
nish, first,  biographical  sketches  of  Coornhert,  the  rep- 
resentative of  a  so-called  undirected  liberty  of  conscience; 
Koolhaas,  the  advocate  of  a  civil  control  over  the  judg- 
ments of  the  church  ;  and  Arminius,  the  evolutionist 
of  the  issues  involved  in  the  principles  of  these  men  and 
the  leader  of  their  adherents.  We  shall  then  give  a 
view  of  the  situation  as  it  was  at  the  death  of  Arminius, 
and  after  that  treat  of  the  great  Synod  of  Dordrecht — 
with  reference  to  the  arrangements  made  for  it;  its  con- 
stitution (with  a  diagram  showing  the  names,  number, 
and  relative  sittings  of  the  delegates);  the  questions  at 
issue  ;  the  proceedings  against  the  Remonstrants  ;  the  in- 
cidents connected  with  the  decision  against  them ;  the 
doctrine  established  by  the  Synod ;  its  post-acta ;  and 
finally,  the  adjournment  and  immediate  effect  of  the 
meeting. 


DEFENSIVE   PEEIOD.  115 


II. 

UNDIRECTED    LIBERTY    OE    CONSCIENCE. 

The  Bible  is  the  only  rule  of  faith  which  the  Re- 
formed Church  recognizes.  Bowing  before  the  suprem- 
acy of  the  Divine  Word,  that  Church  still  perceives  the 
need  of  a  Form  of  Accord  which,  comprising  the  results 
of  the  careful  study  of  Revelation  by  capable  and  de- 
vout men,  may  serve  as  a  regulator  of  the  instructions 
of  ministers  and  teachers,  in  public  and  in  private,  to 
adults  and  children,  from  pulpits,  in  schools  and  in  the 
home  circle.  In  demanding  of  those  who  propose  to 
assume  official  relations  within  her  bounds,  that  they 
shall  subscribe  to  this  Form  of  Accord,  the  Reformed 
Church  does  not  fasten  any  chains  upon  their  con- 
sciences. She  recognizes  the  possibility  of  their  coming 
to  a  change  of  views,  and  acknowledges  their  right  to 
entertain  it.  Nevertheless  she  declares  that  if  any  one 
whose  mind  is  so  exercised,  should  ignore  the  covenant 
vows  which  he  assumed  by  his  signature,  and  give  utter- 
ance to  his  diverging  opinions,  particularly  at  the  time 
of  his  public  ministry,  she  shall  regard  him  as  a  sedi- 
tious person  and  deal  with  him  accordingly.  The 
Church  is  right  in  this.  Her  self-preservation  requires 
that  she  should  pursue  just  this  course. 

Liberty  of  conscience  in  religion,  the  Reformed 
Church  prizes  above  all  things.  It  was  this  which 
Philip  II.  of  Spain,  the  enthroned  representative  of 
Romish  ecclesiasticism,  withheld  as  long  as  he  could. 


116    REFORMED    CHURCH   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

But  this  liberty  is  not  inconsistent  with  that  restraint 
which  one  voluntarily  assumes,  in  joining  an  organiza- 
tion whose  bond  of  cohesion  is  the  common  acceptance 
of  certain  views  of  the  teachings  of  the  Word  of  God 
concerning  the  fundamental  questions  of  the  Gospel. 
The  mistake  of  some  was  that  they  formed  erroneous 
conceptions  of  this  true  reformation-idea  of  Christian 
liberty  of  interpretation.  They  who  made  it,  though 
worthy  of  all  commendation  because  of  many  virtues, 
exposed  themselves  to  the  severe  judgments  of  their 
contemporaries. 

Of  those  who  were  led  astray  in  this  manner  was 
Coornhert.  He  was  born  at  Amsterdam  in  1522.  His 
father  was  a  cloth  merchant.  On  the  occasion  of  a  visit 
to  Spain  on  his  father's  business,  the  young  man  was 
present  at  the  execution  of  some  heretics.  The  sight 
awakened  the  conviction  that  no  church  has  a  right  to 
shackle  the  conscience  of  one  who  differs  from  its  stand- 
ards. When  nineteen  years  of  age  he  married  Cornelia 
Symons,  who  proved  a  very  devoted  wife.  Her  sister 
having  married  a  nobleman,  Coornhert  became  united 
with  his  household,  but  soon  left  his  service.  He 
sought  successfully  a  livelihood  in  Haarlem  by  engrav- 
ing and  etching. 

About  this  time  he  met  a  Baptist  minister,  Henry 
Nicolas,  who  claimed  to  be  a  deified  man.  He  taught 
that  he  was  more  than  Moses,  because  Moses  only 
taught  men  to  hope;  and  more  than  Christ,  because 
Christ  only  taught  men  to  believe;  but,  as  for  himself, 
he  taught  men  to  love, — which  was  more  than  either 
had  done,  and  that  hence  he  was  the  greatest.  This 
visionary  was  utterly  confounded  in  argument  by 
Coornhert. 

While  residing  at  Haarlem,  Coornhert  received  the 


DEFENSIVE   PERIOD.  117 

appointment  of -secretary  to  the  mayor.  In  his  thirty- 
fifth  year  he  applied  himself  so  diligently  to  the  study 
of  the  Latin  and  the  Greek,  that  he  soon  became  very 
proficient  in  those  languages.  His  object  was  to  read 
the  ancient  philosophers  in  the  original.  His  learning 
became  remarkable  for  it  variety  and  extensiveness. 

In  1567,  among  the  thousands  who  suffered  for 
departing  from  the  faith  of  Rome,  he  was  imprisoned  at 
the  Hague.  The  danger  that  threatened  him  so  wrought 
upon  his  wife  that  in  her  despair  she  mingled  freely 
with  persons  affected  with  contagious  diseases,  in  the 
hope  of  contracting  them  and  so  dying  with  her  hus- 
band. For  this  Coornhert  sharply  rebuked  her  and 
bade  her  put  her  trust  in  God.  During  the  next  year 
he  was  liberated,  but  only  as  an  exile,  he  having  been 
banished  by  a  decree  of  the  Council  of  Blood.  During 
some  years  of  wandering  he  earned  the  support  of  his 
family  by  practising  his  art,  sustained  by  the  thought 
which  he  himself  thus  expressed: 

"  Patiently  we  must  bear  the  cross, 
And  gently  submit  to  every  loss." 

In  1572  he  was  installed  by  the  States  of  Holland  as 
their  Secretary.  In  this  position  he  rendered  himself 
so  obnoxious  to  the  Spanish  government  and  their 
priestly  advisers,  that  when  Don  Louis  de  Requesens 
issued  in  1574  his  decree  of  amnesty,  Coornhert's  name 
was  excepted.  After  the  pacification  of  Ghent  in  1576, 
he  once  more  settled  in  Haarlem  as  notary  public.  The 
reformation  had  triumphed,  and  its  Calvinistic  form 
had  been  established  in  the  Xorthern  Netherlands. 
But  the  teachings  of  the  Swiss  theologians,  Calvin  and 
Beza,  on  the  subject  of  predestination,  Coornhert  could 
not  wholly  adopt.     The  views  of  some  extremists,  that 


118    REFORMED   CHURCH  IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

those  who  differed  from  them  on  this  point  should  be 
branded  as  heretics  and  slain,  filled  his  mind  with  hor- 
ror. He  regarded  this  as  a  terrible  perversion  of  the 
very  principle  for  which  that  costly  and  bloody  war 
with  Spain  was  waged.  He  himself,  however,  went  to 
the  other  extreme  and  declared  that  a  church  which 
held  Calvin's  and  Beza's  views  concerning  predestina- 
tion, justification,  and  the  killing  of  heretics,  was  no 
true  church.  To  one  who  had  left  the  Eoman  Church 
and  joined  the  Reformed,  and  remarked  that  he  knew 
as  little  about  the  latter  as  about  the  former,  Coornhert 
said  that  it  was  doubtful  which  was  the  better  church, 
— the  one  he  had  left  or  the  one  he  had  joined.  For 
these  utterances  he  was  taken  to  task  in  1578  by  Ar- 
noldus  and  Donteclock,  two  pastors  at  Delft.  By  direc- 
tion of  the  States,  a  discussion  was  held  at  Leyden 
between  the  parties,  in  the  course  of  which  Coornhert 
said:  "I  hold  as  brethren  all  God-fearing  people  who 
who  rest  on  the  foundation  of  Christ,  whether  they  be 
Papists,  Monks,  Baptists,  Reformed,  or  Lutherans." 

An  example  of  his  liberality  was  afforded  when  the 
Roman  Catholics  of  Haarlem  got  him  to  compose  for 
them  a  petition  to  Prince  William  for  liberty  of  wor- 
ship in  the  convents  and  in  one  of  the  principal  churches 
of  the  city.  On  account  of  the  part  he  had  taken  in 
this  matter,  he  was  cited  to  appear  before  the  magis- 
trates and  required  to  surrender  the  document.  He 
gave  it  up  readily,  saying  that  he  did  not  wish  to  be 
held  responsible  for  it,  much  less  to  be  considered  as 
having  an  attachment  for  the  Romish  religion  of  which 
he  did  not  approve;  but  that  he  deemed  the  Roman 
Catholics  to  have  suffered  great  injustice,  since  the 
promises  made  to  them  were  broken  and  bonds  were 
laid  upon  their  consciences. 


DEFENSIVE   PERIOD.  119 

In  1583  Coornliert  came  in  conflict  with  the  great 
Saravia,  professor  of  theology  at  Leyden.  The  occasion 
was  Coornhert's  publication  of  a  pamphlet  directed 
against  the  Heidelberg  catechism,  and,  under  the  name 
of  "  A  Test,"  dedicated  to  the  States  of  Holland.  The 
Government  placed  it  in  the  hands  of  the  professor  of 
theology  and  a  pastor,  with  directions  to  put  its  depart- 
ures from  the  teachings  of  the  catechism  in  the  form 
of  theses,  which  they  were  to  submit  to  Coornliert  with 
the  request  that  he  would  establish  them  from  Scrip- 
ture; or,  in  case  they  failed  to  represent  his  views,  that 
he  would  correct  them.  Coornliert  replied  that  all  this 
was  needless,  since  the  catechism  furnished  its  own  ob- 
jectionable theses:  "It  is  impossible  for  a  man  per- 
fectly to  keep  the  command  to  love  God  and  our  neigh- 
bor;" and,  "We  all  by  nature  are  prone  to  hate  God 
and  our  neighbor."  A  debate  was  appointed  to  be  con- 
ducted by  Adrianus,  Saravia,  and  Coornliert,  in  the 
presence  of  fifteen  laymen  of  learning  and  political 
standing,  and  two  notaries.  It  began  on  October  27, 
and  continued  till  November  3,  when  Coornliert  was 
summoned  to  Haarlem  by  the  death  of  his  wife.  On 
November  28  it  was  resumed.  The  lectures — for  they 
were  delivered  from  manuscript — were  so  long  that  the 
States,  deeming  them  to  be  interminable,  ordered  the 
debate  to  cease.  For  this  occasion  both  the  Orthodox 
and  the  Remonstrants  claim  the  victory. 

When  in  the  following  year  Coornliert  attempted  to 
locate  in  Delft,  he  was  waited  on  by  two  police  officers, 
with  orders  from  the  local  magistrates  that  he  should 
leave  the  city.  He  was  informed  that  he  would  not  be 
permitted  to  dwell  within  the  bounds  of  the  municipal- 
ity. In  Gouda,  whither  he  removed,  he  was  taken  ill,  in 
the  year  1590,  with  the  sickness  that  ended  in  his  death. 


120    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

While  prostrated,  a  volume  was  handed  him  just  pub- 
lished by  Justus  Lipsius,  professor  of  ecclesiastical  his- 
tory at  Leyden,  taking  the  ground  that  within  any 
realm  there  should  be  but  one  religion,  and  that  they 
who  opposed  it  should  be  overcome  by  force.  Coornhert 
replied  in  a  pamphlet  entitled,  "Proceedings  against 
Heretics,  and  Strictures  upon  the  Conscience/' — thus 
to  the  very  last  battling  for  the  species  of  liberty  which 
he  advocated.  He  died  on  October  29.  His  body 
was  buried  in  St.  John's  Church  in  Gouda.  The 
tourist,  standing  by  his  grave,  may  see,  to  the  left,  the 
magnificent  window  of  stained  glass,  the  chef-cVceuvre 
of  Dirk  Crabeth,  representing  Christ  instituting  the 
Lord's  Supper;  and.  to  the  right,  the  equally  grand 
window  from  the  hand  of  Dirk's  brother  Walter,  repre- 
senting the  death  of  Heliodorus; — both  scenes  most 
splendid  in  coloring  and  delicate  in  outline.  One  of 
these  windows  was  presented  to  the  cathedral  by  King- 
Philip  II.,  and  the  other  by  Duke  Eric  of  Brunswick. 

Around  an  engraved  likeness  of  Coornhert  may  be 
read  the  sentiment: 

"  Id  Amsterdam  I  got  my  soul;  in  Gouda  'twas  set  free; 
I  battled  for  the  cause  of  right,  God's  Word,  and  liberty." 

Franciscus  Junius  described  him  as  a  man  of  pro- 
found intellect,  but  not  favored  by  fortune.  Hugo 
Grotius  greatly  appreciated  his  work.  He  was  a  man 
of  pure  and  upright  life.  He  was  certainly  a  wonder  in 
the  age  in  which  he  lived,  for  his  plea  for  liberty  in  re- 
ligion was  many  years  in  advance  of  his  time.  He 
failed,  however,  to  see  that  his  ideas  would  logically 
lead  to  anarchy,  in  that,  while  he  remained  connected 
with  the  Church  from  which  he  differed,  he  hesitated 
not  to  make  a  public  announcement  of  his  views,  and 
thus  scattered  the  firebrands  of  discord  and  strife. 


DEFENSIVE  PERIOD.  121 


III. 


POLITICO-ECCLESIASTICISM. 


From  its  beginning  the  Reformed  Church,  while  in- 
culcating respect  for  the  civil  powers  ordained  of  God, 
and  submission  to  them  in  matters  pertaining  to  their 
jurisdiction,  has  denied  their  right  to  interfere  with  her 
in  questions  of  doctrine  and  cases  of  conscience  connected 
with  religious  opinion.  All  attempts  at  such  inter- 
ference she  is  disposed  to  resist  strenuously.  The  just- 
ness of  this  position,  however,  was  not  recognized  by  a 
government  which  desired  to  control  the  Church  as 
subordinate.  When,  then,  the  men,  who  knew  that  they 
would  be  denounced  by  the  Church  for  the  opinions 
which  they  entertained  concerning  the  true  relation  be- 
tween the  Church  and  the  State,  invoked  the  aid  of  the 
political  authority,  the  government  was  well  pleased  with 
the  opportunity  that  was  given  to  it  to  assert  its  suprem- 
acy. Thus  a  political  aspect  was  acquired  by  the  dis- 
sensions which  had  arisen  in  the  land  upon  a  purely 
theological  question.  Thus  the  conflict  was  made  more 
complicated,  the  settlement  of  it  was  rendered  more 
difficult,  and  a  participation  in  it  by  all  classes  became 
almost  inevitable.  The  Church  was  disposed  to  allow 
to  the  State  a  general  supervision,  extending  to  the  ap- 
proval by  it  of  ecclesiastical  acts  and  to  the  enforcement 
of  obedience  to  them.  The  State,  however,  was  not 
satisfied  with  this.  It  required  a  share  in  the  calling  of 
ministers,  in  the  appointment  of  consistories,  in  the 
11 


122    REFORMED    CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

enactment  of  church  laws,  and  in  the  decision  of  ques- 
tions of  a  theological  character.  But  a  political  pope 
was  a  personage  whom  the  Eeformed  Church  did  not 
wish  to  see  arising  within  her  bounds. 

The  ability  and  the  prominence  of  some  of  the  up- 
holders of  the  claims  advanced  by  the  civil  authority,  if 
not  giving  weight  to  them,  made  them  harder  to  resist. 
Olden  Barneveldt  urged  them  with  all  the  power  at  his 
command,  and  the  learned  Grotius  adduced  arguments 
in  their  favor.     Speaking  of  the  right  of  magistrates  to 
depose  a  minister,  Grotius  said  that  Solomon  deposed 
the  priest  Abiathar,  and  that  even  Bellarmine  admitted 
the  deposition  of  many  bishops  of  Eome  by  the  empe- 
rors.    "If  the  civil  authority,"  he  declared  " has  the 
right  to  banish  any  person  from  a  country  or  city,  it  also 
has  the  right  to  forbid  any  person  to  hold  office  in  it. 
The  one  includes  the  other.     He  who  has  power  oyer  the 
whole  has  power  over  a  part.     The  civil  authority  has 
the  right  to  depose  not  only  in  the  way  of  punishment, 
but  also  as  a  precautionary  measure— as  when  a  people 
make  use  of  a  pastor  for  insurrectionary  purposes— even 
against  his  will.     If  the  civil  authority  have  not  this 
power,  the  State  cannot  be  secure  against  disturbance." 
The  same  side  of  the  question  was  taken  by  Louise  de 
Coligni  of  France,  and  by  her  son,  Frederic  Henry. 

The  Church,  however,  was  not  destitute  of  eminent 
support.  Prince  Maurice  of  Orange,  a  far-sighted  states- 
man and  a  consummate  general,  and  Francois  Van 
Aersens,  the  Minister  of  the  States  at  the  Court  of 
France,  of  whom  Richelieu  said  that  he  was  one  of  the 
three  greatest  statesmen  of  whom  he  knew,  sustained  the 
opinions  of  the  Reformed  Church  as  opposed  to  the  arro- 
gance of  the  Government. 
°  The  leader  of  this  politico-ecclesiastical  party  was 


DEFENSIVE  PERIOD.  123 

Casper  Coolhaas.  Born  at  Cologne  in  1536,  he  was 
brought  np  in  the  Romish  religion.  When  converted  to 
Protestantism,  he  joined  the  branch  of  it  which  repre- 
sented the  teachings  of  Bucer  and  Melancthon.  This 
was  more  than  the  simple  result  of  local  conditions, 
since  his  rejection  of  the  views  of  the  Genevan  school, 
especially  upon  matters  of  church  polity,  appears  to  have 
been  based  upon  conviction.  In  his  thirtieth  year  he 
settled  as  pastor  at  Deventer  in  the  Netherlands.  But 
as  at  this  time  Alva  and  his  Council  of  Blood  were  ravag- 
ing the  land,  he  was  soon  compelled  to  abandon  his 
ministry  and  to  flee  to  the  Palatinate.  On  October  3, 
1574,  he  preached  his  first  sermon  in  St,  Peter's  Church 
in  Leyden.  He  had  been  called  to  the  pastorate  of  that 
church  some  months  before,  but  the  famous  siege  of  that 
city  occurring  soon  afterward,  he  was  prevented  from 
entering  its  gates.  He  must  have  been  a  man  of  con- 
siderable ability;  for  when,  on  February  8,  15 To,  the 
University  of  Leyden,  afterward  so  justly  renowned, 
was  founded  by  Prince  William  as  a  reward  to  the  citi- 
zens for  their  heroic  defence  of  the  city  against  the 
Spaniards,  Coolhaas  was  appointed  its  first  professor  of 
theology. 

Four  years  later  the  dissensions  began  that  resulted  in 
the  deposition  of  the  pastor  and  professor,  and  were  so 
hurtful  to  the  cause  of  religion  in  the  city,  that,  for  a  long 
time,  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper  was  neglected. 
The  dispute  arose  upon  the  matter  of  the  election  of 
elders  and  deacons.  Peter  Cornelisson,  one  of  the  pas- 
tors in  Lev  den,  took  the  ground  that  they  should  be 
nominated  by  those  whose  term  of  office  was  about  to 
expire,  and  the  names  be  submitted  to  the  congregation 
for  election,  irrespective  of  the  magistrates.  Coolhaas 
agreed  to  the  nomination,  but  required  that  before  the 


124    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

names  were  submitted  to  the  congregation,  they  should 
be  laid  before  the  magistrates  for  their  approval  and 
confirmation. 

The  magistrates  not  only  sustained  Coolhaas,  but  de- 
manded also  that  at  each  meeting  of  the  consistory  two 
of  their  own  number  should  be  present  to  represent  the 
civil  authority,  but  under  oath  not  to  divulge  the  pro- 
ceedings. The  storm  that  followed  shook  the  whole 
Church  to  its  foundations.  The  States  of  Holland  in  vain 
attempted  to  calm  it.  By  their  orders  the  Classes  of  Ley- 
den,  Rhineland,  Delft,  and  others  issued  a  pamphlet 
defining  the  relations  subsisting  between  the  Church 
and  the  Government.  The  contending  parties  at  Leyden 
did  not  concur  in  its  sentiments.  It  contained  the  pro- 
vision that  it  is  the  duty  of  the  magistrates  to  compel 
the  despisers  and  the  falsifiers  of  God's  Word  to  have 
the  Church  in  peace,  and  to  punish  with  imprisonment 
or  fine  those  who  disturbed  it.  Coolhaas  replied  in  a 
pamphlet  which,  by  advice  of  Balk,  a  pastor  at  Antwerp, 
was  submitted  to  a  company  of  eight  men,  consisting  of 
four  lay  judges  and  four  ministers.  These  men,  unable 
to  agree  upon  a  conclusion  adverse  to  either  party,  re- 
commended a  reconciliation,  the  terms  of  which  should 
be  that  the  magistrates  of  Leyden  who  had  deposed 
Cornelisson  f rom  his  office,  should  restore  him,  and  that, 
on  the  other  hand,  Coolhaas  should  acknowledge  that  he 
had  gone  too  far.  This  attempt  to  bring  the  situation 
back  to  the  status  ante  helium  of  course  failed.  Coolhaas 
peremptorily  refused  to  accede  to  this  arrangement  be- 
cause, he  said,  he  was  not  conscious  of  having  uttered 
anything  that  was  wrong. 

While  the  issue  of  the  conflict  was  pending,  the  Na- 
tional Synod  of  Middelburg  was  held  in  1581.  It  con- 
demned the  opinions  of  Coolhaas,  as  they  appeared  from 


DEFENSIVE  PERIOD.  125 

his  writings,  not  only  on  the  subject  of  church  polity 
but  also  doctrine,  and  required  that  he  should  confess 
his  guilt.  Coolhaas  refused  to  submit  to  this  decision, 
saying  that  the  synod  was  not  a  judge  but  a  party  in  the 
case,  thus  anticipating  the  position  taken  by  the  Ke- 
monstrant  delegates  before  the  Synod  of  Dordrecht 
thirty-seven  years  later.  The  lay  judges  before  spoken 
of,  in  the  mean  time  sent  to  the  States  an  official  infor- 
mation of  the  decision  to  which  they  had  come;  and  in 
December  of  that  year  the  Government  gave  up  the  dis- 
position of  the  case  to  the  ecclesiastical  authorities — at 
the  same  time  forbidding  Coolhaas  to  exercise  the  func- 
tions of  his  office  until  he  should  have  concurred  in  the 
reconciliation  formerly  urged  upon  him. 

As  Coolhaas,  still  supported  by  the  magistrates  of 
Leyden,  continued  to  refuse,  he  was  excommunicated 
by  the  Provincial  Synod  of  Haarlem  in  1582.  He  was 
allowed  an  annual  income  of  two  hundred  florins,  and 
thirty  florins  for  house  rent.  Of  this  he  availed  himself 
for  the  support  of  his  invalid  wife  and  six  small  children, 
until  he  found  a  secular  means  of  income,  when  he 
declined  the  pension  with  thanks.  At  the  Synod  of  the 
Hague  in  1586  it  was  resolved  that  if  he  would  subscribe 
to  the  doctrine  relating  to  the  grace  of  God  in  the  sal- 
vation of  the  elect,  and  the  personal  responsibility,  as 
regards  their  destruction,  of  those  who  are  lost,  he  would 
be  restored,  and  after  six  months  would  again  be  per- 
mitted to  preach.  Coolhaas  did  as  required,  but  the 
opposition  of  his  enemies  again  complicated  matters. 
The  mutual  criminations  and  recriminations  continued, 
and  came  to  an  end  only  by  the  death  of  Coolhaas,  which 
occurred  in  1614  in  the  seventy-ninth  year  of  his  age. 


126    REFORMED    CHtJRCH   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 


IV. 

ARMINIUS. 

The  opposition  of  those  who,  during  the  years  inter- 
vening between  the  Synod  of  the  Hague  (1586)  and  that 
of  Dordrecht  (1618),  represented  the  views  diverging 
from  the  tenets  of  the  Eeformed  Church,  was  gradual 
in  its  manifestation.  At  first  they  concealed  their 
opinions  from  the  public.  Then  they  expressed  them 
partially  and  with  hesitation.  Next  they  boldly  declared 
them.  After  that  they  asked  that  the  symbols  of  the 
Church  should  be  relieved  provisionally  of  their  authori- 
tative force;  and  finally,  they  claimed  that  the  Confession 
and  the  Catechism  should  be  subjected  to  revision.  The 
utmost  concession  that  was  made,  or  could  be  made, 
was  that  every  doctrine  objected  to  should  be  considered 
at  a  National  Synod. 

Under  the  leadership  of  Arminius,  all  those  who  dis- 
sented from  the  faith  of  the  Eeformed  Church — called 
Eemonstrants,  from  their  having  sent  into  the  States  of 
Holland  and  West  Friesland  a  libellum,  or  remonstrance 
against  the  doctrines  of  predestination  and  the  persever- 
ance of  saints — acquired  a  full  organized  strength.  He 
was  born  of  humble  parents  in  1560,  in  Oudewater. 
Uitenbogart  was  three  years  older,  and  Gomarus  three 
years  younger  than  he.  So  nearly  of  age  were  the  three 
men  who  opposed  each  other  in  the  struggle  that  pre- 
ceded the  great  synod,  and  impressed  themselves  so 
deeply  upon  their  time  and  upon  future  ages. 


DEFENSIVE   PERIOD-  127 

Arminius  was  very  unfortunate  in  his  youth.  His 
home  was  burned  and  his  nearest  relatives  murdered  by 
the  Spanish  soldiers.  Kind  friends,  however,  came  to 
his  relief.  After  studying  six  years  in  the  University 
of  Leyden,  he  was  sent,  under  the  auspices  of  the  magis- 
trates of  Amsterdam,  to  Geneva.  There  he  met  Uiten- 
bogart,  Beza,  and  Perrot.  An  excursion  to  Italy  caused 
him  much  trouble.  He  was  accused  of  kissing  the  Pope's 
toe  and  of  corresponding  with  Bellarmine.  The  magis- 
trates of  Amsterdam  called  him  to  account;  but  he 
cleared  himself  with  ability.  He  made  so  favorable  an 
impression  that  he  was  called  to  the  pastorate  in  that 
city.  As  this  occurred  in  1587,  he  was  then  only  in  the 
twenty-eighth  year  of  his  age. 

Soon  after  his  settlement  the  troubles  began.  The 
Consistory  requested  him  to  consider  certain  objections 
which  for  some  time  past  had  been  raised  against  the 
Catechism.  Arminius  did  so  and  found  that  his  own 
views  coincided  with  the  opinions  set  forth  in  them. 
His  departure  from  the  doctrines  of  Geneva  he  declared 
in  his  lectures  on  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans.  His  col- 
league, Plancius,  opposed  him.  The  friction,  however, 
was  of  short  duration.  Through  the  efforts  of  the 
magistrates  of  Amsterdam,  aided  by  his  early  friends, 
Taffinus  and  Uitenbogart,  the  harmony,  at  least  for  a 
time,  remained  undisturbed. 

In  1602,  Franciscus  Junius,  professor  of  theology  in 
Leyden,  attempted  to  present  the  doctrine  of  predesti- 
nation in  a  milder  form.  "Predestination,"  said  he, 
"does  not  concern  man  before  God  created  him;  nor 
man  whom,  after  his  creation,  God  foresaw  would  fall; 
but  man  who,  at  his  creation,  was  furnished  with  the 
gifts  necessary  to  the  performance  of  good."  Arminius 
entered  into  correspondence  with  him,  and  showed  how 


128    REFORMED   CHURCH  IN  THE   NETHERLANDS. 

such  opinions  drew  after  them  an  inevitable  necessity  to 
sin,  and  that  consequently,  beyond  the  respective  tenets 
of  Calvin  and  of  Junius,  there  should  be  a  third  presen- 
tation of  the  doctrine  relating  to  God's  scheme  of  grace 
and  judgment,  according  to  which  the  priority  should 
be  given  both  to  the  creation  and  the  fall  of  man. 

Shortly  afterward  the  chair  of  theology  was  made 
vacant  by  the  death  of  Junius.  The  Curators  of  the 
University  considered  the  eligibility  of  a  number  of  for- 
eign theologians.  But  finally  they  decided  in  favor  of  a 
Hollander.  Arminins,  they  thought,  was  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  the  condition  of  the  Church  in  the 
Netherlands,  a  man  of  great  intellect,  of  extensive 
learning,  and  of  irreproachable  conduct.  His  appoint- 
ment in  1603,  though  strenuously  opposed  by  Gomarus, 
was  supported  by  Prof.  Thysius  of  Harderwyk,  and  by 
Uitenbogart,  then  the  eloquent  court-preacher  of  Prince 
Maurice.  Arminius  received  an  honorable  dismission 
from  his  church  and  the  Chassis  of  Amsterdam,  and  was 
inaugurated  as  professor. 

The  battle  fairly  opened  on  February  7,  1604.  On 
that  day  Arminius  in  his  turn  lectured  to  the  students 
on  the  doctrine  of  predestination.  His  diverging  views 
on  this  theme  he  set  forth  in  a  number  of  written  theses. 
The  substance  of  them  was  as  follows: 

That  God,  being  a  righteous  judge  and  kind  father, 
had  from  the  beginning  made  a  distinction  between  the 
individuals  of  the  fallen  race,  according  to  which  He 
would  remit  the  sins  of  those  who  should  give  them  up 
and  put  their  trust  in  Christ,  and  would  bestow  upon 
them  eternal  life;  also  that  it  is  agreeable  to  God  that  all 
men  be  converted,  and,  having  come  to  the  knowledge  of 
the  truth,  remain  therein;  but  He  compels  no  one. 

The  substance  of  the  opinions  of  Gomarus,  the  col- 


DEFENSIVE   PERIOD.  129 

league  of  Arminius  in  the  theological  department,  was 
that  God  had  appointed  the  persons  who  should  be 
saved,  and  those  who  should  be  lost.  From  this  it  came 
about  that  some  were  drawn  to  piety  and  were  preserved 
from  apostasy.  The  remainder  of  the  human  race  were 
left  in  a  natural  condition  of  depravity  and  in  the  guilt 
and  condemnation  of  their  sins. 

These  respective  statements,  containing  the  germ  of 
disagreement  in  regard  to  most  of  the  fundamental  doc- 
trines of  the  Christian  religion,  placed  their  authors  in 
antagonism,  and  furnished  the  occasion  for  the  division 
of  the  entire  Church  into  two  hostile  camps. 

It  is  surprising  that,  while  Arminius  presented  to  his 
students  the  opinions  already  offered  by  such  men  as 
Coornhertand  Coolhaas,  rather  than  the  doctrines  of  the 
Confession  and  the  Catechism,  he  yet  claimed  to  teach 
nothing  at  variance  with  those  standards.  This  was  the 
ground  which  he  took  when  some  deputies  from  the 
synods  of  North  and  South  Holland  called  upon  him,  on 
June  30,  1605,  for  a  conference,  in  order  that  the  affair 
might  be  put  in  a  proper  shape  to  place  before  the  Provin- 
cial Synod.  After  denying  that,  either  at  Amsterdam  or 
at  Leyden,  he  had  taught  anything  against  the  Catechism, 
he  dismissed  them  with  these  words:  "  If  you  in  an  official 
capacity  address  me,  I  cannot  confer  with  you  except  by 
direction  of  the  Curators.  If  as  private  persons,  I  am 
ready  to  discuss  with  you.  If  so  doing  we  disagree, 
nothing  can  be  done  until  a  National  Synod  is  held." 

The  sympathy  of  the  government  with  the  Kemon- 
strant  party,  which  was  willing  to  concede  to  it  the 
right  of  interfering  with  matters  purely  ecclesiastical, 
may  be  seen  in  the  desire,  signified  by  the  States  in  160G, 
that  a  National  Synod  should  meet  for  the  purpose  of 
revising  the  Confession  and  the  Catechism.     The  Synod 


130    REFORMED    CHURCH   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

of  South  Holland  of  that  year  took  alarm  at  this,  and 
resolved  that  an  application  should  be  made  for  the  sub- 
stitution of  a  milder  term  for  the  word  "revising." 
That  synod  also  directed  its  ministerial  members  to  ex- 
amine the  Confession  and  Catechism;  and,  if  they  found 
matters  calling  for  special  attention,  that  they  should 
lay  them  before  their  respective  classes,  together  with 
the  arguments  they  had  prepared.  A  committee  of  four 
was  also  appointed  to  request  the  professors  of  theology 
at  Leyden  to  examine  the  standards,  and,  if  they  should 
discover  anything  in  them  from  which  they  dissented, 
to  refrain  from  expressing  themselves  until  a  National 
Synod  had  met.  Arminius  replied  that  he  would  sub- 
ject the  standards  to  a  careful  examination;  but,  as  to 
delivering  an  opinion,  he  would  act  as  circumstances  ap- 
peared to  require.  After  much  correspondence  between 
Arminius  and  many  pastors  of  the  Eeformed  Church, 
in  the  course  of  which  the  former  attempted  to  remove 
the  suspicions  that  were  expressed  in  regard  to  his  hetero- 
doxy, he  sent  a  request  to  the  States,  in  1608,  for  the 
appointment  of  a  National  Synod.  Instead  of  comply- 
ing, the  States  declared  that  he  and  Gomarus  should 
hold  a  conference  in  the  presence  of  four  ministers 
whom  they  would  depute,  and  whom  they  would  direct 
to  report  the  result.  G-omarus  desired  that  the  discus- 
sion should  be  before  a  Provincial  Synod  specially  called 
for  the  purpose.  When  this  was  refused,  he  declared 
that  he  would  not  agree  to  the  other  arrangement,  on 
the  ground  that  Arminius  and  himself,  being  ministers, 
were  subject  to  the  synod;  and  also,  that  the  matters  in 
dispute  were  of  sufficient  importance  to  receive  the  most 
careful  attention.  The  discussion  was  subsequently  held 
before  the  Chief  Council,  which  reported  to  the  States 
that  it  could  not  perceive  any  difference  of  views  in 


DEFENSIVE   PERIOD.  131 

respect  to  the  fundamental  doctrines  of  the  gospel;  and 
that  the  -two  disputants  should  exercise  toward  each 
other  the  spirit  of  toleration.  With  this  report  Goma- 
rus  was  not  at  all  satisfied,  saying,  that  he  deemed 
the  opinions  held  by  Arminius  detrimental  to  the  cause 
of  truth. 

In  the  following  year  these  celebrated  men  held 
another  discussion  in  the  presence  of  the  States.  Before 
it  was  completed,  one  of  them  was  stricken  down  with  a 
mortal  sickness.  Arminius  died  on  October  19,  1609,  in 
the  forty-ninth  year  of  his  age. 

During  his  illness  some  persons  applied  to  him  the 
words  in  Zech.  xi.  IT,  "  Woe  to  the  idol  shepherd  that 
leave th  the  flock!  The  sword  shall  be  put  upon  his  arm 
and  upon  his  right  eye:  his  arm  shall  be  clean  dried  up 
and  his  right  eye  shall  be  utterly  darkened;"  and  also 
the  words  in  Zech.  xiv.  12,  "  And  this  shall  be  the 
plague  wherewith  the  Lord  shall  smite  all  the  people 
that  have  fought  against  Jerusalem,  their  flesh  shall 
consume  away  while  they  stand  upon  their  feet,  and 
their  eyes  shall  consume  away  in  their  holes,  and  their 
tongues  shall  consume  away  in  their  mouths."  Other 
persons,  who  admired  him,  by  means  of  a  transposition 
of  the  letters  constituting  his  name — Jacobus  Hermanius 
— constructed  the  sentence:  Habui  cur  am  Sionis — I  had 
a  care  for  Zion. 

His  funeral  oration  was  delivered  by  Petrus  Bertus, 
regent  of  the  Theological  College.  In  the  course  of  it 
he  said:  "There  was  a  man  in  Holland  whom  those  who 
knew  him  could  not  sufficiently  appreciate.  They  who 
did  not  appreciate  him  did  not  know  him  well."  King 
James  of  England  called  him  an  enemy  of  God.  Rich- 
ard Thompson  praised  him.  Uitenbogart  valued  him 
highly.     Festus  Hommius  accused  him  of  holding  So- 


132  REFORMED  CHURCH  IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

cinian  views.  Episcopius  defended  him.  Grotius  and 
Buxtorf  honored  him.  Arminius,  in  his  last  will  and 
testament,  declared  that  he  had  before  him  the  noblest 
aims,  and  was  actuated  by  the  purest  motives. 


DEFENSIVE   PERIOD.  133 


V. 

THE   SITUATION   JUST   BEFORE   THE   SYNOD   OF   DORT. 

The  chair  of  theology  in  Leyden  having  been  made 
vacant  by  the  death  of  Arminius,  in  1609,  was  filled  by 
the  appointment  of  Vorstius,  professor  in  Steinfurt. 
This  appointment  was  seemingly  made  in  the  interest  of 
the  Kemonstrant  party.  Vorstius,  though  a  man  of 
great  eloquence  and  vast  learning,  was  not  settled  in  his 
attachment  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Eeformed  Church. 
The  University  of  Heidelberg  had  already  expressed  the 
opinion  that  he  inclined  toward  Socinianism.  King 
James  I.  of  England  protested  against  his  election,  as 
an  injustice,  an  injury  and  a  scandal  to  the  Eeformed, 
and  as  an  enormous  indignity  to  the  Church  of  God. 
Perhaps  as  the  result  of  the  pressure  brought  to  bear 
upon  him,  Vorstius  soon  retired  to  Gouda.  Gomarus 
also  accepted  a  professorship  at  Middelburg.  Episcopius 
and  Polyander,  who  stood  related  to  each  other  doctrin- 
ally,  as  Vorstius  and  Gomarus  had  been,  took  their 
places. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  year  1610  the  followers  of 
Arminius  sent  to  the  States  of  Holland  a  treatise,  in 
which  they  set  forth  their  belief  in  an  election  originat- 
ing in  a  foreseen  faith,  in  the  general  atonement,  in  the 
power  of  the  will  unto  good,  in  the  insufficiency  of 
divine  grace  unto  conversion,  and  in  the  possibility  of  a 
fall  from  grace;  in  so  artful  a  manner,  that  the  States 
were  persuaded  to  accept  their  statement  as  in  accord 

n 


134    REFORMED    CHURCH   IN"   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

with  all  the  Reformed  churches  in  Europe.  They  also 
requested  that  a  Synod  should  be  held  under  the  super- 
vision of  the  Government.  In  August,  the  States  de- 
clared that  the  opinions  expressed  in  the  Remonstrance, 
should  provisionally  remain  free  from  censure  ;  and  that 
the  young  men  who  were  preparing  for  the  ministry, 
should  not  have  the  doctrine  of  predestination  pressed 
upon  them  beyond  the  statement  of  it  in  "  the  five 
points." 

In  December,  the  Classes  of  North  Holland  and  South 
Holland  requested  that  a  Provincial  Synod  should  be 
called  for  the  purpose  of  refuting  the  tenets  of  the  Re- 
monstrance. The  request  was  so  far  complied  with  that 
a  conference  was  appointed  consisting  of  twelve  persons, 
six  from  each  side,  who  engaged  in  a  friendly  inter- 
change of  views.  As  a  result  of  this  meeting  another 
conference  was  held  in  March,  1611,  at  which  the  Re- 
formed, who  were  admitted  not  as  delegates  of  Classes, 
but  as  individuals,  presented  a  Contra-Remonstrance. 

The  States  then  urged  the  Reformed  Church  to  tol- 
erate, in  the  spirit  of  love,  a  doctrine  which  she  deemed 
detrimental  to  her  highest  interests.  In  May,  1611, 
they  also  resolved  that,  provisionally,  the  pastors  should 
treat  one  another  with  Christian  and  fraternal  affection, 
and,  in  their  sermons,  discuss  the  points  in  dispute  with 
soberness  and  moderation.  This  resolution  sounded 
pleasantly,  but  there  was  a  partisan  spirit  back  of  it. 
In  November  following,  they  enacted  that  all  who  should 
not  conform  to  the  resolution  of  May,  would  be  punished 
for  resisting  the  ordained  powers.  This  was  really  an 
imposition  of  silence  upon  the  Reformed  Church,  and 
laying  her  bound  and  helpless  at  the  feet  of  those  whom 
she  felt  she  ought  to  resist  as  the  disturbers  of  her  peace 
and  the  destroyers  of  her  life.     Perhaps  this  was  per- 


DEFENSIVE   PERIOD.  135 

ceived  by  the  States  themselves.  In  the  following 
month,  December,  1611,  receding  somewhat  from  the 
stand  taken  in  November,  they  declared  that  the  teach- 
ings in  the  churches  upon  the  atonement,  justification, 
saving  faith,  original  sin,  the  assurance  of  salvation,  and 
perfection,  should  conform  to  those  heretofore  given  in 
the  Eeformed  Church.  The  Eeformed  thereupon  tak- 
ing heart,  requested  the  Eemonstrants  to  make  a  plain 
statement  of  their  opinions  on  these  topics.  When  they 
refused,  the  States  sustained  them. 

In  March,  1612,  the  States  directed  that  the  ordinance 
of  1591,  framed  by  eight  ministers  and  eight  civil  dele- 
gates, according  to  which  the  magistrates  had  the  right 
to  share  in  the  ecclesiastical  business  relating  to  the  call- 
ing of  ministers  and  discipline,  should  go  into  effect; 
and  in  August  they  resolved  that  the  cities  which  ob- 
jected to  this  ordinance  should  be  urged  by  committees 
to  conform  to  it. 

The  Delft  conference,  Feb.  26,  1613,  was  another 
attempt  at  reconciliation  between  the  parties.  Arranged 
by  Prince  William  Louis,  it  was  composed  of  three  Re- 
formed and  three  Remonstrant  ministers.  The  former 
asked  the  latter  if  they  could  subscribe  to  the  doctrines 
mentioned  in  the  resolution  of  Dec,  1611.  The  Re- 
monstrants inquired  whether  their  "five  points"  could 
be  tolerated  by  the  Reformed,  and  were  informed  of  the 
readiness  of  the  latter  to  discuss  any  mode  of  promot- 
ing mutual  forbearance.  Hence,  in  March  the  three 
Reformed  ministers  were  asked  to  prepare  a  form  of  uni- 
fication. They  complied.  They  made  a  distinction  be- 
tween holding  a  doctrinal  view,  and  teaching  it.  They 
deemed  it  a  matter  of  great  anxiety,  that  those  who  had 
openly  declared  their  dissent  from  the  doctrines  of  the 
Reformed  Church,  should  still  minister  in  that  Church. 


136    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

They  expressed  a  willingness  that  the  Eemonstrants 
should  have  their  own  opinions,  but  on  these  conditions: 
1.  They  must  not  publish  them  until  a  synod  had  de- 
cided concerning  them;  2.  They  must  openly  acknowl- 
edge that,  as  to  all  other  doctrines,  the  formulas  were 
Scriptural;  3.  They  must  submit  to  the  judgment  of 
classes  and  synods;  4.  They  must  not  prevent  the  hold- 
ing of  National  Synods. 

When  the  Delft  conference  failed  to  accomplish  the 
end  for  which  it  had  been  held,  the  States,  in  the  fol- 
lowing year,  desired  to  adopt  a  Form  of  Accommodation. 
This  was  a  compromise  between  the  views  of  the  Re- 
formed and  the  Eemonstrants,  and  was  to  be  acted  on 
by  all  the  ministers  of  Holland  and  West  Friesland. 
Nothing  was  accomplished  by  this  effort. 

In  the  beginning  of  1614,  the  States,  influenced  by 
Olden-Barne veldt,  declared  that  no  one  must  be  wise 
above  what  is  written,  or  teach  that  God  has  created 
any  man  unto  damnation,  or  that  He  forces  men  to  sin, 
or  that  He  invites  any  man  to  a  salvation  which  He  does 
not  mean  to  give  him,  or  that  the  unmerited  grace  of 
God  in  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord  is  the  beginning,  the  mid- 
dle, and  the  end  of  salvation.  The  Reformed  answered 
that  no  one  could  be  wrong  who  remained  within  the 
limits  set  by  God's  Word,  and  complained  of  the  mis- 
representation of  their  doctrines.  They  called  for  a 
National  Synod  loudly. 

After  this  many  of  the  Contra-Remonstrants  aban- 
doned the  Church  and  were  regarded  as  schismatics.  It 
must  be  admitted  that  they  had  been  placed  in  an  evil 
situation.  They  had  even  consented  to  a  division  of  the 
church  buildings  between  themselves  and  their  oppo- 
nents. The  Remonstrants,  however,  expecting  soon  to  re- 
ceive all  the  churches,  would  not  agree  to  this  arrange- 


DEFENSIVE   PERIOD.  137 

ment.  In  every  case  where  a  Remonstrant  preacher  had 
been  set  oyer  a  congregation,  the  members  who  could 
not  receive  his  doctrines,  held  religious  services  in  private 
houses  and  barns.  In  this  they  were  opposed  by  the 
magistrates,  who  punished  them  with  fines  and  banish- 
ment. 

Persecution  provoked  a  stronger  resistance  on  the  part 
of  the  Eeformed.  The  States  did  not  continue  unani- 
mous in  their  views  of  the  modes  in  which  differences 
were  to  be  settled.  In  March,  1616,  the  States  of  Hol- 
land voted  that  a  mutual  toleration  should  be  practised, 
under  penalty  of  being  dealt  with  as  disturbers  of  the 
public  peace.  Six  cities,  at  the  head  of  which  was 
Amsterdam,  objected  to  this  act.  Foreseeing  the  extent 
to  which  this  resistance  would  grow,  Olden-Barneveldt 
asked  the  Prince  to  sustain  the  States  of  Holland. 
Prince  Maurice,  who  till  then  had  concerned  himself 
chiefly  with  the  war,  and  was  forced  by  this  request 
openly  to  espouse  one  side  or  the  other,  declared  that  as 
Stadth'older  he  was  under  oath  to  protect  the  Reformed 
religion.  At  a  solemn  meeting  of  the  Chief  and  the 
Provincial  Councils,  the  Chamber  of  the  Rhetoricians, 
the  Civic  Magistracy,  and  the  Committees  from  the 
several  Common  Councils,  held  at  The  Hague  in  Jan., 
1617,  the  Prince  was  asked  to  advise  that  body.  He 
desired  that  the  records  of  1586,  containing  the  oath  he 
had  taken  when  he  assumed  his  office,  should  be  brought 
in.  When  they  had  been  read,  he  directed  attention  to 
the  article  in  which  the  States  united  with  him  in  bind- 
ing themselves,  even  to  the  last  drop  of  their  blood,  to 
defend  the  Reformed  religion.  "That  religion/'  said 
the  Prince,  "I  shall  maintain  as  long  as  I  live."  The 
attempt  was  made,  but  in  vain,  to  persuade  him  that 
the  "five  points"  did  not  affect  that  religion  injuriously. 


138    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

From  that  time  on,  through  persecution  on  the  one 
hand  and  resistance  on  the  other,  it  continually  became 
more  evident  that  the  strife  could  not  be  settled  amica- 
bly. Five  provinces  determined  that  a  National  Synod 
should  be  held.  This  measure  received  the  earnest 
approval  of  many  prominent  persons  in  Holland  and 
Utrecht.  On  Nov.  11,  1617,  a  resolution  to  that  effect 
was  adopted  by  the  States  General,  notwithstanding  a 
strong  protest  from  Holland,  Utrecht,  and  Over-Yssel. 


DEFENSIVE  PEEIOD.  139 


VI. 


THE   ARRANGEMENTS   AND    ORGANIZATION   OF   THE 
SYNOD   OF   DORT. 

When  the  States-General  resolved,  on  Nov.  11,  1617, 
that  a  synod  should  be  held,  the  Keformed  were  in  the 
ascendant.  Prince  Maurice  had  openly  espoused  the 
cause  of  the  Contra- Remonstrants.  Olden-Barneveldt, 
Grotius,  and  Hogerbeets  had  been  imprisoned.  The 
people  at  large  expressed  their  disapproval  of  the  tenets 
of  the  Remonstrants,  in  the  songs  they  sang  in  the  streets 
of  the  cities.  As  it  was  well  understood  that  this  Synod 
would  fix  the  attention  of  Protestant  Europe,  the  most 
careful  preparations  were  made  for  it.  In  1618,  the 
States  held  several  meetings,  at  which  they  provided  for 
the  details  of  the  approaching  Synod.  At  the  meeting 
in  October,  the  committee  which  had  been  appointed  to 
estimate  the  number  who  might  be  expected  to  attend, 
reported  that  probably  there  would  be  26  home  divines, 
28  foreign  divines,  5  professors,  and  16  political  dele- 
gates; that  a  suitable  place  of  meeting  should  be  desig- 
nated; that  in  the  city  selected  for  the  meeting,  proper 
accommodations  should  be  prepared;  that  provision  must 
be  made  for  the  conveyance  of  delegates  from  Germany 
and  Switzerland;  that  the  cost  of  the  meeting  of  the 
Synod  would  probably  be  100,000  florins;  and  that  this 
sum  should  be  assessed  upon  the  several  provinces,  not 
only,  but  also,  that  each  province  should  be  recommended 
and  urged  to  send  the  amount  of  its  assessment  by  its 


140    REFORMED    CHURCH   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

delegates,  "  to  be  placed  by  them,  immediately  after  their 
arrival,  in  the  hands  of  the  treasurer,  to  the  end  that 
the  expenditure  of  the  Synod  might  be  provided  for 
with  promptness,  and  all  confusion  tending  to  the  dis- 
honor of  the  land,  might  be  avoided." 

The  report  was  adopted.  Dordrecht  was  selected  as 
the  place  of  meeting.  Thus  the  city  acquired  a  world- 
wide reputation.  Long  after  it  shall  have  disappeared 
from  the  face  of  the  earth,  its  name  shall  be  regarded  as 
one  of  the  most  important  in  the  annals  of  ecclesiastical 
history.  A  committee,  consisting  of  a  member  from 
each  of  the  three  provinces,  Gelderland,  Holland,  and 
Zeeland,  was  directed  to  repair  to  Dordrecht,  and  to 
make  all  the  necessary  arrangements,  "  so  that  the  whole 
affair  might  be  disposed  of  in  a  decent  and  orderly  man- 
ner." The  next  day,  Oct.  17,  was  observed,  by  direc- 
tion of  the  States-General,  "as  a  day  of  fasting  and 
prayer,  that  God  might  bestow  His  Holy  Spirit  and 
grace  upon  the  Synod  that  was  about  to  meet."  The 
States  said  that  men  should  beseech  God  "  that  all  things 
might  be  done  in  His  fear,  to  His  honor,  and  for  the 
maintenance  of  the  true  Christian  Eeformed  religion, 
and  also,  unto  the  conservation  of  the  rest,  the  peace 
and  the  unity  of  the  churches  of  this  country,  in  general, 
and  of  every  province,  all  cities  and  members  of  churches, 
in  particular;  so  that  the  former  intercourse,  friendship, 
and  concord  might  be  restored." 

Among  the  first  to  arrive  were  George  Carle  ton, 
Bishop  of  Llandaff,  and  the  British  theologians.  They 
were  received  by  the  States,  on  November  5,  with  very 
great  respect.  The  bishop,  in  the  name  of  King  James, 
addressed  the  Prince  in  an  elegant  oration.  The  Genevan 
delegates  appeared  on  November  10.  From  France  no  del- 
egates arrived.  The  States  had  requested  that  two  might  be 


DEFENSIVE   PERIOD.  141 

sent  from  that  country,  and  the  appointment  had  been 
made  of  two  ministers  from  Guienne,  but  it  was  subse- 
quently withdrawn,  owing,  it  is  said,  to  Jesuitical  influ- 
ence. The  two  delegates  from  Bremen  were  received  by 
Gomarus,  at  Groningen,  his  intention  being  to  escort 
them  to  Dordrecht.  When  they  had  arrived  at  Amster- 
dam, one  of  them,  Crocins,  happened  to  remark,  "  Ar- 
minius piae  memoriae  !"  Gomarus  became  very  angry, 
and  exclaimed:  "  Quid  piae  memoriae!  imo  perditael" 
He  then  rushed  out  of  the  house,  and  travelled  alone  to 
Dordrecht. 

Tuesday,  November  13,  1618,  was  the  day  on  which  the 
great  Synod  opened.  In  the  morning,  religious  services 
were  held  in  the  church  in  Dordrecht.  On  this  occa- 
sion, and  throughout  the  sessions,  the  Latin  language 
was  employed.  Addresses  were  delivered  by  Balthasar 
Lydius,  the  pastor  of  the  church,  and  by  Jeremiah  De 
Pours,  pastor  of  the  Walloon  congregation  at  Middelburg. 
In  the  prayer  that  followed,  enlightening  by  the  Holy 
Spirit  was  sought,  so  that  the  truth  which,  leading  men 
to  God  is  better  than  a  peace  which  separates  them  from 
Him,  might  be  defended,  and  that  the  labors  of  God's 
servants  might  tend  to  the  upbuilding  of  the  fallen  walls 
of  the  Christian  Jerusalem. 

The  home-delegates  then  proceeded  to  the  lodgings  of 
the  foreign  delegates,  to  conduct  them  in  procession  to 
"  De  Stad's  Doelen,"  where  the  Synod  held  its  sessions. 
The  delegates  from  Gelderland  escorted  the  British; 
those  from  South  Holland,  the  members  from  the  Pala- 
tinate; those  from  Zeeland,  the  Swiss;  those  from 
Utrecht,  the  members  from  Geneva;  the  Frisians  escorted 
the  delegates  from  Bremen;  the  members  from  Over- 
Yssel,  those  from  Embden.  Their  arrival  was  an- 
nounced to  the  deputies  from  the  States  by  Lydius  and 


142    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

Festus  Hommius.  They  were  welcomed  in  the  name 
of  the  States-General  by  Martinus  Gregorius,  of  the 
court  of  Gelderland  and  by  Hugo  Muis  Van  Holen,  Mayor 
of  Dordrecht,  and  conducted  to  the  places  assigned  to 
them  in  the  second  story  of  the  building. 

After  addresses  delivered  in  behalf  of  the  States  by 
Lyd ins  and  Gregorius,  the  Synod  organized.  Josias  Vos- 
bergen,  an  elder  from  Zeeland  (there  were  21  elders  in 
the  Synod)  proposed  that  the  president  should  be  selected 
from  a  province  involved  less  than  the  others  in  the  de- 
bates by  which  the  land  had  been  distracted;  and  that 
one  of  the  adsessors,  or  of  the  clerks,  should  be  a  Remon- 
strant. Through  the  influence,  it  is  said,  of  Count 
William  Louis  of  Nassau,  the  choice  for  president  fell 
upon  Bogerman,  minister  at  Leeuwarden. 

He  was  a  very  remarkable  man  physically  and  men- 
tally. He  had  a  fine  presence — was  tall,  straight,  and 
well  proportioned.  His  forehead  was  high.  His  features 
were  expressive  and  his  eyes  sparkling  and  piercing. 
A  magnificent  beard,  of  a  light  color  like  his  hair,  de- 
scended to  his  waist.  He  had  a  full  voice,  and  his  ges- 
tures, when  he  was  excited  (which  was  not  seldom,  for 
he  was  a  man  of  strong  passions),  were  very  impressive. 
With  intense  convictions,  he  was  impulsive  and  imperi- 
ous in  his  manner  of  uttering  them. 

The  adsessors  elected  were  Jacobus  Rolandus,  minis- 
ter at  Amsterdam,  and  Hermanus  Faukelius,  minister 
at  Middelburg.  The  scribes  were  Sebastian  Dam  man, 
minister  at  Zutphen,  and  Festus  Hommius,  minister  at 
Leyden.  The  annexed  diagram,  which  the  writer  pre- 
pared from  an  old  engraving  representing  the  Synod  in 
session,  may  convey  to  the  reader  an  idea  of  the  relative 
position  of  the  officers  and  the  members  and  Remon- 
strant ministers. 


DEFENSIVE   PEEIOD. 


143 


23 


3      3      3 


CO 


22 


10    11     12 


'|  16 

|  15 
'I  14 
J  13 


20  |' 
19  |. 
18  I- 
17  I. 


CO 


In  the  following  explanation,  the  figures  in  brackets 
indicate  the  number,  in  each  case,  of  the  persons  who 
signed  the  proceedings  of  the  S\-nod  at  its  close: 


144    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

1.  The  political  deputies  (15). 

2.  Their  secretary. 

3.  The  English  theologians  (5). 

4.  The  theologians  from  the  Palatinate  (3). 

5.  The  delegates  from  Hesse-Cassel  (4). 

6.  The  Swiss  theologians  (5). 

7.  The  Wedderaw  correspondents  (2). 

8.  The  theologians  from  Geneva  (2). 

9.  The  theologians  from  Bremen  (3)  and  Embden  (2). 

10.  The  Netherlands  Professors. 

11.  Deputies  from  Gelderland  and  Zutphen  (4). 

12.  Deputies  from  South  Holland  (5). 

13.  Deputies  from  North  Holland  (5). 

14.  Deputies  from  Zeeland  (5). 

15.  Deputies  from  Utrecht  (2). 

16.  Deputies  from  Friesland  (4). 

17.  Deputies  from  Over-Yssel  (6). 

18.  Deputies  from  Groningen  (6). 

19.  Deputies  from  Drenthe  (2). 

20.  Delegates  from  Walloon  Churches  (6). 

21.  The  President,  Adsessors,  and  Scribes  (5). 

22.  Remonstrant  Professors  and  Ministers  who  had  been  cited 

to  appear  before  the  Synod. 

23.  The  fire-place,  having  a  large  fire  burning  in  it. 

24.  Windows. 

25.  Standing-space  for  spectators. 

26.  The  door. 

From  the  centre  of  the  high  ceiling  hung  a  pear-shaped 
cluster  of  lamps.  Each  member  was  provided  with  writ- 
ing materials.  The  partition  separating  the  space  as- 
signed to  the  spectators,  appears  to  have  been  breast 
high. 

The  officers  having  been  elected,  the  political  depu- 
ties delivered  their  credentials  and  presented  the  arti- 
cles of  instruction  by  which  their  conduct  in  the  Synod 
was  to  be  regulated.  They  were  dated  November  13, 1618, 
and  were  drawn  up  in  fifteen  articles.     Those  of  the 


DEFENSIVE  PERIOD.  145 

foreign  delegates  had  already  been  placed  in  the  hands 
of  His  Excellency  and  of  the  States.  A  letter  from  the 
professors  and  ministers  of  Geneva,  relating  to  the  relig- 
ions condition  of  the  country  and  the  work  before  the 
Synod,  was  then  read.  On  resolution,  all  the  acts  of  the 
States  bearing  upon  the  matter  of  convoking  the  Synod, 
were  read,  so  that  the  delegates  might  know  how  they 
were  expected  to  conduct  themselves.  The  eighth  act 
is  of  sufficient  interest  to  be  noticed.  It  permits  minis- 
ters, other  than  the  delegates,  to  appear  on  the  floor  of 
the  Synod,  and,  with  consent  of  the  Synod,  to  lay  before 
that  body  any  gravamina  in  regard  to  which  they 
desired  instruction.  They  were,  however,  to  consider 
themselves  bound  to  render  a  cheerful  submission  to  the 
decision  of  the  Sjmod. 
13 


146    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 


VII. 

DOCTRINAL   QUESTIONS   BEFORE   THE    SYNOD   OF 
DORDRECHT. 

The  Synod  was  not  unanimous  in  its  doctrinal  views. 
In  the  first  place,  its  members  were  divided  into  two 
classes,  composed  of  those  who,  in  the  theological  no- 
menclature of  the  day,  were  designated,  respectively, 
Supralapsariaus  and  Infralapsarians.  The  former,  to 
whom  Oalvin,  Beza,  G-omarus,  Lubbertus,  Voetius  and 
Bogerman,  the  President  of  the  Synod,  belonged,  held 
to  an  unconditional  election,  anterior  to  the  creation 
and  fall  of  man.  The  latter,  whose  views  were  entertained 
by  Thysius,  Polyander  and  Walseus,  said  that  this 
unconditional  election  was  subsequent  to  the  apostasy, 
which  was  foreseen.  "The  most  of  those,"  says  Mos- 
heim,  "who  took  the  side  of  the  Genevans,  supposed 
that  God  only  permitted  the  first  man  to  sin,  but  did 
not  decree  his  apostasy;  others  maintained  that  God 
from  all  eternity,  in  order  to  place  his  justice  and  his 
free  goodness  in  the  clearest  light,  had  decreed  the  la- 
mentable transgression  of  Adam,  and  had  so  disposed 
everything,  that  our  first  parents  could  not  avoid  or 
escape  the  transgression.  The  latter  were  called  Supra  - 
lapsarians,  in  distinction  from  the  former,  who  were 
called  Infralapsarians." 

Then  also,  there  were  those  in  the  Synod,  though  their 
number  was  comparatively  small,  who  strongly  inclined 
to  the  Remonstrants.     Such  were  the  deputies  from 


DEFENSIVE   PERIOD.  14? 

Utrecht,  who  failed  not  to  show  very  decidedly  which 
side,  in  the  approaching  debate,  would  have  the  benefit 
of  their  sympathy.  TThile  these  distinctions  were  not 
so  sharply  drawn  as  to  prevent  unity  of  action,  they  ex- 
erted a  considerable  influence  in  shaping  the  proceedings 
of  the  Synod  relating  to  the  settlement  of  questions  of 
doctrine. 

The  points  in  dispute  upon  which  the  ^Netherlands 
theologians,  clerical  and  lay,  aided  by  the  foreign  divines, 
were  to  decide,  concerned  election  and  reprobation;  the 
death  of  Christ  and  redemption  by  it;  the  corruption  of 
man  and  his  conversion  from  it;  and  the  perseverance 
of  saints. 

The  tenets  of  the  Eemonstrants,  according  to  the 
historian,  G.  Brand,  were  as  follows: 

I.  God  from  eternity  determined  to  choose  unto  ever- 
lasting life  all  those  who,  through  his  grace  in  Jesus 
Christ,  believe,  and,  unto  the  end  persist  in  faith,  and 
in  the  obedience  of  it;  on  the  contrary,  He  hath  deter- 
mined to  reject  unto  their  everlasting  damnation  the 
impenitent  and  unbelievers. 

II.  Christ  has  died  for  all,  so  that  He  procured  by 
means  of  His  death  reconciliation  and  pardon  for  all; 
still,  in  such  a  manner  that  none  except  believers  are 
actually  in  the  enjoyment  thereof. 

III.  Man  has  not  this  saving  faith  in  himself,  nor 
from  the  power  of  his  own  free  will,  but  he  needs  there- 
unto the  grace  of  God  in  Christ. 

IV.  This  grace  is  the  beginning,  continuance,  and 
completion,  of  man's  salvation,  so  that  no  one  can 
believe,  or  continue  to  believe,  without  this  co-operative 
grace;  hence,  all  good  works  must  be  ascribed  to  the 
grace  of  God  in  Christ;  but,  as  regards  the  operation  of 
this  grace  it  is  not  irresistible. 


148    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

V.  True  believers  have  through  diviue  grace  sufficient 
power  to  tight  against  sin  and  gain  the  victory.  But 
whether  through  carelessness  they  might  not  depart  from 
the  holy  doctrine,  lose  a  good  conscience,  and  neglect 
grace,  should  be  clearly  ascertained  from  Holy  Scripture, 
before  it  could  assuredly  be  taught.  This  fifth  article 
was  afterward  altered,  so  that  it  expressed  that  all  who 
once  truly  believed,  could  yet  through  their  own  fault 
stray  from  God  and  finally  lose  their  faith. 

The  Eemonstrants  did  not  hold  to  the  entire  decree 
of  election;  since  it  implies  not  only  that  God  will  save 
those  who  believe,  but  also  that  He  has  chosen  certain 
persons  from  eternity,  to  whom,  in  preference  toothers, 
He  may  in  time  give  faith  and  perseverance.  They 
declared  that  there  is  a  distinction  in  election:  one  kind 
can  be  to  faith  only;  and  another  to  salvation.  Accord- 
ing to  them,  the  good  pleasure  of  God  in  election  con- 
sists in  choosing  faith  as  the  condition  of  salvation,  and 
choosing  to  account  it  instead  of  a  perfect  obedience. 
This  election,  they  said,  depends  upon  the  right  use  of 
the  light  of  nature,  or,  upon  the  possession  of  an  honest 
and  lowly  disposition.  It  is  made  from  foreseen  faith, 
repentance,  and  sanctity.  They  held  that  some  who  are 
the  objects  of  it,  may  perish;  and  they  taught,  that  in 
this  life  there  is  no  certainty  of  immutable  election  to 
glory,  except  from  a  mutable  condition.  As  to  reproba- 
tion, the  Eemonstrants  claimed  that  God  did  not  decree 
from  His  own  mere  will  to  leave  any  in  the  fall  of  Adam  ; 
and  that  if  God  sent  the  gospel  to  one  nation  rather 
than  to  another,  it  was  because  in  some  way  it  was  more 
deserving. 

In  regard  to  the  death  of  Christ,  the  Eemonstrants 
held  that  the  Father  designed  it  irrespective  of  a  cer- 
tain and  definite  purpose  to  save  any  one  particular  soul. 


DEFENSIVE   PERIOD.  149 

The  end  of  that  death  was  that  the  Son  might  acquire  a 
right  to  enter  again  into  some  covenant  with  men,  either 
of  grace  or  of  works;  also,  the  power  of  acting  anew  with 
men,  and  of  prescribing  whatever  new  conditions  the 
Father  willed,  and  the  performance  of  which  might  de- 
pend on  the  free  will  of  man.  The  covenant  of  grace, 
through  the  intervention  of  the  death  of  Christ,  con- 
sisted, they  said,  in  the  imputation  of  faith  itself  and  of 
the  imperfect  obedience  of  faith.  They  held  that  all 
men  are  taken  into  a  state  of  reconciliation,  and  are 
exempt  from  the  condemnation  of  original  sin.  God, 
they  claimed,  willed  to  confer  equally  upon  all  men  the 
benefits  resulting  from  the  death  of  Christ.  If  some 
shared  in  the  remission  of  sin,  rather  than  others,  it  was 
because  they  applied,  by  their  free  will,  the  grace  which 
was  offered  impartially;  and  not  in  virtue  of  a  special 
gift  of  mercy  operating  in  them  effectually.  Christ 
could  not,  and  did  not,  die  for  those  whom  God  had  par- 
ticularly chosen  unto  eternal  life.  For  such  that  death 
was  not  necessary. 

On  the  subject  of  man's  corruption  and  his  conversion, 
the  views  which  the  Reformed  had  to  combat  were 
these : 

Original  sin  of  itself  does  not  suffice  for  the  condem- 
nation of  the  entire  race.  Good  habits  and  virtues  had 
no  place  in  the  will  of  man  when  he  was  first  created; 
hence  they  could  not  be  separated  from  it  in  the  fall. 
In  man's  spiritual  death  spiritual  gifts  are  not  separated 
from  his  will.  That  will  was  never  corrupted  in  itself, 
but  only  impeded  by  the  darkness  of  the  mind  and  the 
irregularity  of  the  affections.  When  the  mind  has  been 
enlightened  and  the  heart  fixed,  the  will  may  be  able  to 
exert  the  free  power  implanted  in  it.  Unregenerate 
man  is  not  totally  dead  in  sins,  but  can  hunger  and 


150    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

thirst  after  righteousness  and  offer  the  sacrifices  of  a 
broken  heart.  Corrupt  man  can  so  employ  the  light  of 
nature,  and  the  gifts  within  him  which  have  survived  the 
fall,  that  he  can  obtain  greater  grace.  God  therefore 
gives  to  all  sufficiently  and  efficaciously  the  necessary 
means  to  the  revelation  of  Christ.  Faith  is  not  a  gift 
infused  by  God,  but  only  an  act  of  man.  The  grace  by 
which  a  man  is  converted  is  only  a  gentle  suasion.  The 
efficacy  of  divine  grace  consists  in  this,  that  God  prom- 
ises eternal  blessings,  while  Satan,  on  his  part,  promises 
those  which  are  only  temporary.  God  does  not  so  apply 
his  power  but  that  man  can  resist  and  thus  hinder  it. 
God  does  not  effectually  help  the  will  of  man  before  the 
will  of  man  moves  and  determines  itself. 

Nor  were  the  departures  from  the  doctrine  of  the  Re- 
formed on  the  perseverance  of  the  saints  less  pronounced. 
The  errorists  said  that  this  perseverance  is  not  a  gift  ob- 
tained by  the  death  of  Christ,  but  is  a  condition  of  the 
new  covenant  to  be  performed  by  man  antecedent  to  his 
justification;  and  that,  while  God  provides  the  believer 
with  power  sufficient  for  persevering,  it  depends  upon 
the  freedom  of  the  will  whether  a  person  perseveres  or 
not.  They  claimed  that  true  believers  not  only  could 
fall  from  grace  and  salvation  totally  and  finally,  but  in 
fact  not  seldom  did;  and  that  they  could  be  guilty  of  the 
sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost.  They  denied  that  the  per- 
severance of  saints  could  be  admitted,  and  they  assumed 
that  an  assurance  of  salvation,  from  its  very  nature  and 
tendency,  was  injurious  to  piety.  Doubts  concerning  it 
were  commendable.  The  faith  of  those  who  are  saved, 
said  they,  differed  from  that  of  mere  temporary  believers, 
only  in  that  it  is  of  longer  duration.  They  held  that 
men  could  be  regenerated  repeatedly.  They  confessed 
themselves  unable  to  perceive  that  the  intercessory  prayer 


DEFENSIVE  PERIOD.  151 

of  our  Lord,  recorded  in  the  seventeenth  chapter  of  the 
Gospel  of  John,  affords  ground  for  the  confident  accept- 
ance of  the  doctrine  of  the  perseverance  of  the  saints  in 
their  faith. 

Opposed  to  these  opinions  were  the  seven  articles  of 
the  Contra-Remonstrance. 

1.  God  from  eternity  chose  some  of  the  human  race 
(which  in  and  with  Adam  has  fallen  into  sin  and  has  no 
more  power  to  believe  and  to  convert  itself  than  a  dead 
man  has  power  to  restore  himself  to  life)  to  receive  sal- 
vation through  Christ,  while  in  His  righteous  judgment 
He  passed  by  the  rest  to  remain  in  their  sins. 

2.  The  children  of  believing  parents  and  adult  believ- 
ers must  be  considered  as  the  elect  until  they  give  evi- 
dence to  the  contrary. 

3.  In  election,  God  has  no  regard  to  faith  and  conver- 
sion, but  had  determined  in  His  eternal  counsel,  to  give 
to  the  elect  faith  and  perseverance,  and  thus  to  save 
them. 

4.  Unto  this  end  God  gave  His  Son,  whose  passion, 
though  sufficient  for  the  sins  of  all  mankind,  tended 
according  to  the  divine  determination,  to  the  redemption 
of  the  elect  only. 

5.  God  caused  the  gospel  to  be  preached  to  them, 
quickened  it  in  their  hearts  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  so  that 
they  received  the  power  not  only  to  repent  and  believe, 
but  to  do  so  immediately  and  willingly. 

6.  The  elect,  by  the  same  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
without  any  co-operation  of  their  own,  are  thus  preserved 
that,  though  through  weakness  they  may  indeed  fall  into 
grievous  sins,  still  they  cannot  wholly  nor  forever  lose 
the  true  faith. 

7.  True  believers  cannot  thereby  be  seduced  into  a 
carnal    peace, — since  it  is  impossible  that  they  who 


152    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

through  Christ  had  a  genuine  faith  implanted  in  them, 
should  not  bring  forth  fruits  of  gratitude,  while  the 
promises  of  divine  aid  and  the  exhortations  of  Scripture 
tend  to  work  in  them  their  salvation  with  fear  and  trem- 
bling, and  to  lead  them  the  more  earnestly  to  desire  the 
help  of  the  Spirit,  without  whom  they  could  not  do  any- 
thing. 


DEFENSIVE  PERIOD.  153 


VIII. 

THE   PROCEDURE   OF   THE    SYNOD    OF   DORDRECHT 
AGAINST   THE   REMONSTRANTS. 

The  status  in  the  Synod  of  the  representatives  of  the 
party  whose  doctrines  were  to  be  examined  and  judged, 
was  a  question  to  the  consideration  of  which  the  Synod 
was  called  at  the  very  beginning  of  the  proceedings  in 
this  matter.  At  first,  it  was  proposed  that  they  should 
be  recognized  as  delegates.  The  proposition  was  imme- 
diately rejected.  This  action  of  the  Synod,  foreshad- 
owed, as  will  be  seen,  the  result  of  the  deliberations. 
It  was  resolved,  through  the  influence  of  President  Bo- 
gernan,  it  was  said,  that  thirteen  Eemonstrants,  of 
whom  Episcopius,  one  of  the  professors  of  theology  at 
Leyden,  should  be  one,  must  be  cited  to  appear  before 
the  Synod  within  fourteen  days.  This  number  was  sub- 
sequently increased  to  fifteen,  when  two  of  the  Utrecht 
delegates  left  their  seats,  and  joined  their  brethren  with 
whose  doctrine  they  sympathized.  The  citation  of 
Episcopius  was  a  surprise  to  the  deputies  from  Utrecht. 
"What!"  said  they,  "the  States  of  Holland  deputed 
him  as  a  member  of  the  Synod,  and  is  he  now  to  be  sum- 
moned as  though  he  were  not  a  member?"  The  presi- 
dent peremptorily  silenced  them  by  rebuking  what  he 
called  their  love  of  contradiction,  and  by  informing  them 
that  it  was  the  desire  of  the  States  General  that  Episco- 
pius should  be  cited. 

An  oath  was  taken  by  the  members  of  the  Synod  that 


154    REFORMED    CHURCH   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

"  in  passing  judgment  they  would  regard  as  the  rule  of 
faith  no  human  writings,  but  the  Word  of  God  alone, 
and  would  aim  in  all  their  transactions  at  nothing  else 
than  the  glory  of  God,  the  peace  of  the  church,  and  the 
conservation  of  the  purity  of  doctrine." 

On  December  6, 1618,  a  few  of  the  Remonstrants,  who 
were  joined  later  by  the  remainder,  announced  their  arri- 
val. They  were  welcomed  as  " reverend,  famous,  and  ex- 
cellent brethren  in  Christ,"  and  had  places  assigned  to 
them  at  the  long  table  in  the  centre  of  the  hall.  Epis- 
copius  then  declared  that  he  and  his  associates  were 
ready  to  begin  the  conference.  To  this  word  instant  ex- 
ception was  taken  by  Polyander,  who  received  a  general 
support.  "  The  Synod,"  said  he,  "  is  not  a  party  in  the 
case,  but  a  judge."  Thus  a  conflict  was  started  which 
led  to  the  result  that  the  Synod  finally  rendered  a  deci- 
sion upon  the  Remonstrant  tenets,  as  gathered  from 
their  printed  works,  not  as  orally  expressed.  The  posi- 
tion taken  by  the  Synod  was  justified  by  the  very  terms 
of  its  convocation  by  the  States  General.  The  Remon- 
stran  ts,  however,  would  not  yield  their  point.  Had  they 
done  so,  they  would  thereby  have  acknowledged  the  le- 
gitimacy of  the  final  decision  of  the  Synod,  even  though 
it  should  prove  adverse  to  them. 

The  next  day  Episcopius  delivered  an  eloquent  ad- 
dress. After  expressing  regret  at  the  distracted  condi- 
tion of  the  Church,  he  declared  that  he  and  his  associates 
only  desired  peace.  Their  object  was  to  present  a  milder 
form  of  the  doctrines  of  predestination,  and  to  advocate 
the  subordination  of  the  Church  to  the  State,  even  in 
matters  which  concerned  the  former  only.  "  We  come," 
said  he,  "disposed  to  be  overcome,  as  well  as  to  over- 
come. Whatever  be  the  result,  good  will  come  from  it. 
He  is  not  ashamed  of  being  conquered  who  seeks  to 


DEFENSIVE  PERIOD.  155 

attain  unto  the  truth,  even  at  the  cost  of  abandoning  an 
error,  and  who  aims  at  the  peace  of  his  conscience  through 
the  acquisition  of  the  truth.  He  certainly  is  not  worthy 
of  participating  in  the  counsels  of  this  assembly,  who 
has  not  come  to  it  ready  to  acquit  those  to  whom  he 
does  not  feel  inclined,  and  to  condemn  those  even  whom 
he  holds  in  great  affection.  One  may  feel  drawn  toward 
certain  great  doctors  and  toward  the  entire  Synod,  but 
the  truth  should  be  precious  to  him  above  all.  Amicus 
Socrates,  Amicus  Plato,  arnica  Sy  nodus;  sed  magis  arnica 
Veritas  !"  By  this  address,  it  was  said,  he  tried  to  enlist 
the  sympathies  of  the  foreign  theologians. 

In  the  morning  of  December  10,  Bernardus  Dwinglo, 
pastor  at  Leyden,  read  a  paper  in  behalf  of  the  Remon- 
strants,  taking  the  ground  that  his  party  could  not 
regard  the  synod  in  a  judicial  capacity,  on  the  ground 
that  all  its  members,  except  the  foreign  deputies,  were 
their  opponents.  The  president  replied  that  there  could 
be  no  other  relation  between  the  Synod  and  the  Remon- 
strants than  that  between  a  judge  and  a  person  sum- 
moned to  answer.  After  nine  sessions  occirpied  in  the 
discussion  of  the  vexed  question,  and  some  of  these 
quite  tumultuous,  the  Synod,  supported  by  the  civil  au- 
thority, maintained  its  position;  and  the  Remonstrants, 
acquiescing  under  protest,  expressed  their  willingness 
to  submit  in  writing  their  opinions  on  the  topics  treated 
of  in  "the  five  points.""  Among  those  whose  protest 
was  the  most  decided,  was  Carolns  Xiellius,  pastor  of 
the  Walloon  Church  at  Utrecht,  who  said  that  his  breth- 
ren bowed  before  the  civil  authority  and  acknowledged 
the  worth  of  the  Synod;  but  that  he  did  not  perceive 
why  they  had  not  as  much  right  to  dissent  from  this 
Synod,  as  their  forefathers  had  to  dissent  from  the  Coun- 
cils; or  as  their  immediate  ancestors,  from  the  Council 
of  Trent. 


156    EEFOEMED   CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

The  question  of  the  status  of  the  Remonstrants  in  the 
Synod  thus  having  been  disposed  of,  a  difficulty  next 
arose  in  regard  to  the  method  of  settling  the  doctrinal 
differences  which  the  Synod,  in  its  judicial  capacity,  was 
about  to  consider.  The  Remonstrants  brought  in  a 
written  statement  of  their  opinions.  This,  however, 
was  not  satisfactory  to  the  Synod,  which  demanded  an 
elaborate  oral  expression  of  their  views.  To  this  the 
Remonstrants  would  not  accede — except  on  the  condi- 
tion that  they  should  be  heard  in  refutation  of  the  doc- 
trines which  they  controverted.  Of  course  this  could 
not  be  entertained,  since  it  implied  that  the  Synod  had 
met  to  confer  with  those  whom  it  had  cited,  and  not  to 
pass  judgment  upon  them.  Moreover,  the  Synod  had  a 
wise  regard  to  the  peculiar  circumstance  characterizing 
its  constitution,  and  to  the  fact  that  its  decision  was  to 
be  received  by  all  belonging  to  the  Reformed  Church  as 
expressing  its  faith.  As  has  been  previously  stated,  the 
Synod  was  divided  into  Supralapsarians  and  Infralap- 
sarians.  If  the  Remonstrants  had  been  permitted  to 
offer  their  proposed  refutation,  the  differences  in  the 
Synod  itself  would  have  become  manifest,  and  for  want 
of  essential  unanimity,  the  confidence  of  the  Church  in 
the  Synod's  decision  would  have  been  shaken. 

On  December  29  the  Remonstrants  declared  that 
they  would  make  in  writing  a  clear  statement  of  their 
opinions.  They  would  present  their  views  of  election 
first,  and  then  of  reprobation.  Then,  having  been  in- 
formed of  the  opinions  of  the  Contra-Remonstrants, 
they  would  refute  them.  If  anything  further  was  wanted 
in  their  defence,  they  would  receive  whatever  questions 
the  president  had  to  propound  and  answer  them  in 
writing.  If  the  occasion  should  demand  it,  they  would 
reply  orally  also,  through  one  of  the  most  capable  of  their 
number. 


DEFENSIVE  PERIOD.  157 

The  synod  would  not  consent  to  this.  However,  it 
sent  a  committee  to  The  Hague  with  the  request  that  it 
might  be  informed  how  to  act  in  the  matter.  The  com- 
mittee returned  with  the  reply  that  the  synod  must  in  all 
respects  dispose  of  the  case  before  it  as  a  judge. 

While  these  fruitless  discussions  were  in  progress  the 
year  1618  came  to  an  end.  The  people,  thinking  that 
the  material  heavens  reflect  in  portents  the  tumults  of 
earth,  looked  with  profound  interest  at  the  comet  then 
gleaming  in  the  nocturnal  sky.  Jacobus  Cats,  or  Father 
Cats,  as  he  is  affectionately  called,  voiced  the  popular 
thoughts  in  the  lines  which  may  be  rendered  thus: 

"  Dear  Lord,  list  to  our  prayer,  and  drive  away  from  here 
The  spirit  of  debate  which  fills  all  hearts  with  fear! 
The  strife  has  been  too  long.     O,  bid  the  quarrel  cease! 
Let  peace  reign  in  its  stead,  Thou  blessed  Prince  of  Peace! 
Let  them  who  were  estranged,  in  true  accord  now  own 
The  Spirit's  gentle  grace  subduing  hearts  of  stone!" 

On  the  last  evening  of  the  year  the  sessions  were  closed 
with  a  solemn  sermon,  preached  by  Polyander,  from  the 
words  in  Isa.  lii.  T:  "  How  beautiful  upon  the  mountains 
are  the  feet  of  him  that  bringeth  good  tidings,  that  pub- 
lisheth  peace;  that  bringeth  good  tidings  of  good,  that 
publisheth  salvation,  that  saith  unto  Zion,  Thy  God 
reigneth. " 

The  synod  re-assembled  on  January  3,  1619.  Each 
one  of  the  Remonstrants  was  requested  to  state  whether 
the  well-known  "  five  articles"  which  had  been  delivered 
to  the  Lords  the  States  of  Holland  in  1610,  and  which 
had  been  discussed  and  defended  at  the  Conference  in 
The  Hague  in  1611,  were  still  regarded  by  them  as  ex- 
pressing their  opinions.  They  objected  to  this  proceed- 
ing, stating  that  it  was  in  conflict  with  the  liberty  which 
they  wished  for  the  presentation  of  their  cause  in  a 
11 


158    REFORMED    CHURCH   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

manner  subservient  to  its  interests.  They  then  com- 
plained of  the  injustice  of  the  treatment  they  received. 
The  Synod,  however,  persisted  in  regarding  them  as  the 
accused  who  were  to  be  orally  questioned  and  were  re- 
quired to  answer  in  the  same  manner. 

On  the  11th  the  Synod  declared  that  it  would  no  longer 
seek  to  overcome  the  obstinacy  of  the  Eemonstrants,  but 
would  judge  of  their  opinions  as  gathered  from  their 
published  writings.  On  the  14th  of  January  the  Re- 
monstrants presented  a  treatise  on  the  first  of  "the  five 
points."  When  the  57th  session  had  been  reached,  they 
were  asked  again  whether  they  would  obey  the  States 
and  the  Synod.  They  offered  a  written  statement,  sub- 
scribed by  each  of  them  present,  that  their  consciences 
would  not  permit  them  to  yield  their  positon.  Accord- 
ingly, on  Jan.  16,  they  were  dismissed,  and  by  no  means 
in  a  gentle  manner. 

The  personal  appearance  of  the  President  I  have  al- 
ready described.  On  this  occasion  he  was  in  a  state  of 
violent  agitation.  His  whole  frame  trembled  with  emo- 
tion. His  eyes  shot  forth  sparks  of  fire.  "You  boast," 
he  cried,  in  a  voice  which  rolled  like  thunder  through 
the  hall,  "  that  many  foreign  divines  did  not  refuse  to 
grant  your  request.  Their  moderation  arose  from  a 
misunderstanding.  They  now  declare  that  they  were 
deceived  by  you.  They  say  that  you  are  no  longer 
worthy  of  being  heard  by  the  Synod.  You  may  pretend 
what  you  please,  but  the  great  point  of  your  obstinacy 
is  that  you  regard  the  Synod  as  a  party  in  the  case. 
Thus  you  have  long  delayed  us.  You  have  been  treated 
with  all  gentleness,  friendliness,  toleration,  patience,  and 
simplicity.  Go  as  you  came.  You  began  with  lies  and 
you  end  with  them.  You  are  full  of  fraud  and  double- 
dealing.     You  are  not  worthy  that  the  Synod  should 


DEFENSIVE   PERIOD.  159 

treat  with  you  farther."  Then  extending  his  arms  and 
turning  the  palms  of  his  hands  outward,  he  exclaimed, 
"  Dimittimini  /  Exite  !  Mendacio  incepistis,  mendacio 
Univistis  !    Ite  /" 

The  effect  was  startling.  The  Eemonstrants  arose. 
"  According  to  the  example  of  my  Saviour/'  said  Epis- 
oopius,  "  I  shall  not  reply.  God  will  judge  between 
me  and  the  Synod  in  regard  to  the  lies  with  which  we 
are  charged."  Niellius  said,  "  From  this  injustice  of 
the  Synod  I  appeal  to  the  throne  of  Christ."  J\Taeranus 
said  the  same,  adding,  "  There,  they  who  now  sit  as 
judges  themselves  shall  stand  to  receive  judgment."  As 
Hollingerus  approached  the  door  he  cried,  "  Go  out  from 
the  assemblies  of  the  wicked." 

A  commission  was  then  sent  by  the  Synod  to  The 
Hague  to  acquaint  the  Government  with  the  events  of 
the  last  few  days.  The  reply  was  that  the  expulsion  of 
the  Remonstrants  was  approved,  and  that  the  Synod 
must  proceed  to  the  exercise  of  judgment  upon  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Remonstrants  as  these  appeared  in  their 
publications.  Prince  Maurice,  however,  regretted  the 
violence  of  President  Bogerman. 


160    KEFOKMED   CHUKCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 


IX. 

INCIDENTS  CONNECTED  WITH  THE  CONDEMNATION  OF 
THE  REMONSTRANT  TENETS  BY  THE  SYNOD  OF 
DORDRECHT. 

After  the  expulsion  from  the  Synod  of  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Kemonstrant  party,  it  applied  itself 
closely  to  the  examination  of  the  Kemonstrant  doctrines, 
as  they  had  been  set  forth  in  various  publications.  A 
solemn  sentence  of  condemnation  was  uttered  against 
these  tenets  on  April  24.  Two  weeks  later  it  was  made 
public.  On  the  6th  of  May  the  great  Church  of  Dor- 
drecht was  filled  to  overflowing  by  an  expectant  multi- 
tude which  had  come  in  from  the  surrounding  country. 
After  prayer  by  President  Bogerman,  the  canons  of  faith 
adopted  by  the  Synod,  and  also  the  sentence  passed 
against  the  Remonstrants,  were  read.  The  latter  was 
in  part  as  follows: 

"  Since  some  who  have  gone  out  from  us  under  the 
name  of  Remonstrants,  ....  have  undertaken  to  stir 
up,  grievously  and  dangerously,  the  doctrines  of  the 
Reformed  Church,  and  to  bring  forward  injurious  an- 
cient errors  and  to  devise  new  ones,  ....  the  Synod 

....  declares  and  judges  that  the  ministers,  who 
have  conducted  themselves  as  heads  of  factions  and 
teachers  of  errors,  are  guilty  and  convicted  of  having 
scandalized  religion  and  dismembered  and  offended  the 
churches.  As  regards  those  who  have  been  cited  before 
this  Synod,  they  are  guilty,  moreover,  of  intolerable 


DEFENSIVE   PERIOD.  161 

obstinacy  against  the  commands  of  the  civil  authority 
which  is  upheld  in  this  Synod,  and  against  the  Synod 
itself.  For  this  cause  the  Synod  suspends  the  before- 
mentioned  cited  from  their  offices,  and  judges  them  un- 
worthy of  any  professorial  positions,  until  such  time  as 
by  an  earnest  conversion  ....  they  shall  have  satisfied 

the  Church 

"The  others,  of  whom  this  National  Synod  does  not 
know,  it  refers  to  the  Provincial  Synods,  Classes,  and 
Consistories,  ....  who  shall  take  the  utmost  care  that 
the  church  neither  suffers  damage  in  the  present,  nor 
have  occasion  to  fear  it  in  the  future;  that,  in  a  spirit 
of  prudence  they  search  out  those  who  are  inclined  to 
errors;  that  they  ....  depose  the  obstinate  declaimers 
and  factious  disturbers   from    their   ecclesiastical  and 
scholastic  offices;  ....  that  with  all  gentleness  .... 
they  seek  to  restore  those  who  through  weakness  and  by 
means  of  the  wickedness  of  the  times,  have  fallen  or 
been  led  astray,  ....  to  the  true  and  perfect  unity  of 
the  church Moreover,  this  reverend  Synod  ear- 
nestly exhorts   all   ecclesiastical  assemblies    that    they 
diligently  watch  over  the  flocks  which  have  been  en- 
trusted to  them;  that  they  betimes  remove  all  novelties 
which  are  springing  up  in  the  church  and  root  them 
out  of  this  garden  of  the  Lord;  that  they  have  a  care  of 
the  schools  and  the  regents,  so  that  the   Church  and  . 
Fatherland    may  not    afterward    suffer   great    damage 
through    the   peculiar    opinions    introduced    into    the 
minds  of  the  young.-" 

Formal  thanks  were  then  addressed  to  the  States  for 
having  convoked  the  Synod,  and  the  true  doctrine  was 
commended  to  their  protection.  With  a  prayer  of 
thanksgiving  the  exercises  closed  and  the  throng  dis- 
persed. 


162    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

About  two  months  later  the  sentence  of  the  Synod 
against  the  Eemonstrants  was  confirmed  by  the  States. 
By  its  enforcement  about  two  hundred  ministers  were 
deposed.  They  were  enjoined  to  lead  a  quiet  unofficial 
life,  in  which  the  States  undertook  to  provide  for  their 
support,  whether  at  home  or  abroad.  Seventy  signed 
the  act  of  deposition.  Eighty  who  rebelled  were  trans- 
ported across  the  boundaries.  All  persons  who  held  the 
Eemonstrant  doctrines  were  positively  forbidden  to  hold 
any  meetings. 

The  presence  of  the  foreign  theologians  being  no 
longer  deemed  necessary,  their  departure  was  attended 
with  special  ceremonies.  On  the  9th  of  May  the  Synod 
held  a  public  session.  Martinus  Gregorius  offered  a 
devout  prayer  in  which  he  praised  God  for  the  help 
which  He  had  so  far  vouchsafed  to  the  Synod.  Then 
addressing  the  foreign  theologians  in  the  name  of  the 
States  General,  he  made  due  acknowledgment  to  them 
for  their  efficient  counsel  and  aid. 

"Fathers,"  said  he,  " farewell.  The  States  praise 
your  faithfulness  and  thank  you  for  it.  They  wish  that 
the  work  that  has  been  done  may  produce  such  excellent 
fruit  that  fear  and  envy  may  flee.  They  unanimously 
desire  that  henceforth  a  fraternal  spirit  may  prevail. 
Farewell,  Fathers.  The  pastors  of  the  churches  desire 
to  see,  as  the  result  of  your  labors,  God's  enemies  van- 
quished, the  Church  of  the  Netherlands  freed  from  con- 
tentions. Fathers,  farewell.  We  are  pleased  with  what 
you  have  done.  We  see  in  the  conclusion  to  which  you 
have  come,  an  evidence  of  grace,  the  peace  of  the  people, 
a  bond  of  friendship,  a  haven  of  rest,  the  quiet  of  the 
land.  Nevertheless — pardon  this  word — it  is  the  closing 
wish  of  our  prayer  that  God  would  here  so  prosper  His 
cause  that  tve  shall  not  see  yoic  again  in  this  country." 


DEFENSIVE   PERIOD.  163 

At  the  conclusion  of  this  address  the  President  also 
addressed  the  foreign  theologians,  thanking  them  in  the 
name  of  the  Synod.  In  the  evening  the  Synod  sat  down 
to  a  splendid  banquet  given  in  honor  of  the  foreign  theolo- 
gians, by  the  city  of  Dordrecht,  at  a  cost  of  over  twelve 
hundred  florins.  Some  of  the  Remonstrants  deemed  it 
unseemly  that  these  festivities  were  held  on  Ascension- 
day.  Others  complained  that  musicians  had  been  hired 
from  other  cities,  and  that  the  guests  were  entertained 
with  vocal  music  furnished  by  a  female  choir,  which 
was  separated  from  the  banqueters  by  means  of  a  screen. 
"The  fathers  of  the  Synod,"  said  a  Eemonstrant  his- 
torian, "washed  from  their  consciences  with  Rhine 
wine  the  burden  of  the  deposition  of  so  many  preachers, 
and  eased  their  minds  by  means  of  sweet  melodies. 
Several  foreign  delegates,  even  some  of  the  most  digni- 
fied, indulged  so  freely  that,  as  they  wTalked  homeward, 
their  gait  wras  rather  unsteady." 

On  the  following  day  each  foreign  divine  received  as  a 
gift  from  the  States  General,  a  gold  medal  suspended 
from  a  golden  chain,  to  the  value  of  two  hundred 
florins.  On  one  side  of  it  was  a  representation  of  the 
Synod,  and  the  wrords  Asserta  Religione;  on  the  other, 
the  figure  of  Mount  Zion,  with  a  temple  on  the  summit 
assailed  by  the  four  winds  of  heaven;  encircling  the 
mountain  were  the  words  Erunt  Sicut  Mons  Zion. 

The  Synod  wras  honored,  but  it  also  endured  evi- 
dences of  malice.  A  box  was  sent  containing  the  differ- 
ent articles  associated  with  the  crucifixion  of  our  blessed 
Redeemer,  such  as  spikes,  pincers,  dice,  and  play- cards, 
intended  to  intimate  that  the  Synod  had  once  more  put 
the  Lord  to  shame.  The  Synod,  presuming  that  this 
box  might  have  come  from  some  of  the  Remonstrants, 
summoned  the  wife  of  a  certain  Jacques  Cayonkele  to 


164    REFORMED    CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

appear  before  a  committee  .  consisting  of  the  pastors 
Deodatus  and  Tronchinus  of  Geneva,  and  La  Vigne  of 
the  Walloon  Church  at  Dordrecht.  She,  however,  pro- 
tested that  she  knew  nothing  of  the  matter.  The 
Remonstrants  declared  that  they  highly  disapproved  of 
the  act. 

It  is  said  that  on  the  19th  of  January,  1619,  there 
was  nailed  on  the  door  of  the  hall  where  the  Synod  held 
its  sessions  a  satirical  verse  which  the  writer  translates: 

When  the  Synod  of  Dordrecht  began  its  great  meeting, 

The  Devil  was  ready  to  give  it  his  greeting. 

In  the  nethermost  realms  he  produced  a  sensation 

By  kindling  bright  lights  for  an  illumination. 

There  never  before  had  been  such  a  convention 

On  the  face  of  the  earth;  nor  had  even  mention 

Been  made  of  a  council  the  gist  of  whose  teaching 

Was,  God  is  the  author  of  evil ;  and  preaching 

That  God  orders  men  to  do  what  they  never 

Are  able  to  do,  and  that  then  He  forever 

Inflicts  on  their  spirits  His  wrath  without  measure, 

Merely  because  of  His  simple  good  pleasure. 

The  Devil  well  knows  that  the  Lord  is  not  dealing 

With  men  in  this  manner,  and  hence  he  is  reeling 

With  joy,  to  consider  the  Synod  so  daring 

As  to  call  God  a  tyrant;  and  to  utter  so  glaring 

A  falsehood,  as  that,  while  He  binds  with  a  fetter 

The  free  will  of  all,  He  elects  one,  no  better 

Than  others,  for  grace  and  a  blessed  salvation ; 

While  the  rest  He  consigns  to  a  sure  condemnation. 

Thus  Satan  is  glad  as  he  thinks  of  the  number 

Of  souls  which  this  doctrine  will  lock  up  in  slumber. 

To  Calvin  he  feels  under  great  obligation ; 

And  the  Synod  will  know  of  his  appreciation 

Of  that  which  it  did  for  his  cause  by  its  show, 

When  its  members  have  come  to  the  regions  below. 

When,  on  the  9th  of  May,  the  States  expressed  their 
thanks  to  the  foreign  theologians,  they  invited  them, 


DEFENSIVE  PERIOD.  165 

before  their  departure,  to  visit  The  Hague.  Those  who 
accepted  the  invitation,  beheld  a  terrible  tragedy. 
Four  days  later,  on  May  13,  1619,  the  head  of  Olden- 
Barneveldt  rolled  on  the  scaffold  beneath  the  axe  of  the 
executioner.  One  of  the  spectators  was  Deodatus,  of 
Geneva.  As  the  head  of  the  aged  statesman  fell,  the 
Swiss  pastor  remarked:  "The  Canons  of  Dordrecht 
have  shot  it  off."  Thus  mutually  inter-penetrating,  in 
the  opinion  of  one  man  at  least,  were  political  expe- 
dients and  theological  conclusions. 


166    REFORMED    CHURCH   IN  THE   NETHERLANDS. 


X. 


THE   DOCTRINES   OF   THE   SYNOD. 

Before  the  announcement,  in  the  great  church  of 
Dordrecht,  of  the  sentence  against  the  Remonstrants,  and 
the  departure  of  the  foreign  theologians,  the  Synod  ap- 
plied itself  with  energy  to  express  clearly  and  finally  the 
faith  of  the  Reformed  Church.  Each  member  submit- 
ted his  opinion  on  "the  five  points"  in  writing.  The 
number  of  the  treatises,  which  were  by  no  means  short, 
and  the  differences  between  the  Supralapsarians  and  the 
Infralapsarians  promised  a  long  discussion.  The  united 
adoption  of  a  rule  of  faith  seemed  at  a  very  remote  dis- 
tance. Some  even  affected  to  believe  that  the  Synod 
would  remain  in  session  twelve  years. 

In  the  mean  time  President  Bogerman  had  prepared, 
with  the  aid  of  the  adsessors  Roland  us  and  Faukelius,  a 
statement,  in  which  the  errors  of  the  Remonstrants  and 
the  faith  of  the  Reformed  Church  were  set  forth  with 
distinctness.  This  paper  was  read  to  the  Synod  during 
the  126th  and  the  127th  sessions.  After  the  reading,  the 
President  stated  that  he  and  those  who  had  been  engaged 
with  him  in  this  work,  would  be  glad  to  entertain  any 
comment  upon  the  subjects  treated  in  the  paper,  and  es- 
pecially in  regard  to  the  expression  of  points  of  doctrine. 
To  this  course  the  political  delegates  objected,  not  deem- 
ing it  wise  to  entrust  this  important  work  to  the  hands 
of  a  few,  still  less  to  one  man,  however  zealous,  capable, 
and  devout. 

The  Synod,  therefore,  at  their  suggestion  appointed  a 


DEFENSIVE  PERIOD.  167 

committee  to  draw  up  a  statement  of  the  faith  of  the 
Eeforined  Church,  within  as  short  a  time  as  possible, 
consistent  with  the  gravity  of  the  work.  The  committee 
consisted,  besides  the  President  and  the  adsessors,  of 
George  Carleton, Bishop  of  Llandaff;  Abraham  Scultetus, 
professor  at  Heidelberg;  Johannes  Deodatus,  minister 
at  Geneva;  Johannes  Polyander,  Professor  at  Leyden; 
Antonius  Walaeus,  professor  at  Middelburg;  and  Jacobus 
Trigland,  minister  at  Amsterdam.  The  committee 
wasted  not  a  moment.  The  report  was  presented  after 
three  weeks.  The  Canons  proposed  did  not  meet  at  first 
with  universal  satisfaction.  It  was  said  the  doctrine  Avas 
set  forth  in  too  mild  a  form.  The  expression  "  man  was 
lost  through  his  own  fault "  was  generally  dissented 
from.  Fnally,  after  a  few  alterations,  the  report  was 
adopted  and  the  Canons  were  subscribed  by  the  officers  of 
the  Synod,  by  the  professors  of  theology,  and  by  the  for- 
eign and  the  home  delegates. 

These  Canons,  entitled  "  Heads  of  Doctrine,"  corre- 
spond in  number  to  "the  five  points"  of  the  Remon- 
strance. They  relate  to  predestination  ;  the  death  of 
Christ  and  redemption;  the  corruption  of  man;  his  con- 
version to  God  and  the  manner  of  it;  and  the  perseverance 
of  the  saints. 

The  first  Head  was  presented  in  eighteen  articles.  It 
declared  that  election  is  not  conditional.  Faith  is  the 
gift  of  God.  The  cause  of  unbelief  is  not  in  God  but  in 
man.  The  doctrine  of  predestination,  presented  for  the 
honor  of  God  and  the  comfort  of  his  people,  must  be 
presented  with  a  proper  regard  to  time  and  place.  It 
should  be  dwelt  upon  with  a  discerning  spirit,  and  the 
discussion  of  it  should  never  be  characterized  by  a  curi- 
ous inquisitiveness  into  the  ways  of  God.  To  those  who 
use  the  means  by  which  God  has  promised  to  work  faith 


168  REFORMED  CHURCH  IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

in  us,  the  doctrine  is  not  a  dreadful  one ;  nor  has  it  any 
terrors  for  those  who  earnestly  desire  to  repent  before 
God.  It  is  a  fearful  doctrine  to  those  who  remain  at- 
tached to  the  world  and  the  flesh.  Nearly  all  these 
articles  are  fortified  by  appropriate  citations  from  Scrip- 
ture. 

Half  as  many  articles  were  deemed  sufficient  for  the 
announcement  of  the  Head  relating  to  the  nature  and 
the  extent  of  the  atonement.  God  is  supremely  just  as 
well  as  merciful.  In  our  inability  to  satisfy  that  justice, 
God  gave  his  Son  as  a  surety  for  us.  The  death  of 
Christ  is  abundantly  sufficient  to  expiate  the  sins  of  the 
whole  world.  The  value  of  that  death  is  in  the  personal 
dignity  and  the  qualifications  of  the  Sufferer.  The  call 
to  repent  and  to  believe  the  Gospel  must  be  preached  to 
all  the  world.  The  destruction  of  any  one  in  unbelief  is 
to  be  imputed  wholly  to  himself.  No  one  is  saved  through 
any  merit  of  his  own.  It  is  the  purpose  of  God  the 
Father  that  the  saving  efficacy  of  the  death  of  his  Son 
shall  extend  to  all  the  elect  and  to  them  only,  and  this 
purpose  has  been  and  will  be  accomplished  notwithstand- 
ing all  opposition. 

The  subjects  of  the  third  and  fourth  Heads,  the  cor- 
ruption of  man  and  the  manner  of  his  conversion,  are 
disposed  of  in  seventeen  articles.  Corruption  is  derived 
from  Adam,  not  by  imitation  but  by  the  propagation  of  a 
vicious  nature.  All  men  are  by  nature  the  children  of 
wrath,  incapable  of  any  saving  good,  prone  to  evil,  dead 
in  sin.  There  remain  in  man,  since  the  fall,  some  glim- 
merings of  natural  light;  but  these  cannot  bring  him  to 
true  conversion.  That  conversion  God  performs  by  the 
operations  of  his  Holy  Spirit.  God  calls  men  by  the 
Gospel:  if  any  refuse  to  come  and  be  converted,  the 
fault  is  in  themselves.     If  any  obey  and  are  converted, 


DEFENSIVE   PERIOD.  169 

this  is  not  to  be  ascribed  to  the  proper  exercise  of  free 
will,  but  wholly  to  God  who  confers  faith  and  repent- 
ance. The  regenerating  Spirit  infuses  new  qualities 
into  the  will,  quickens  it,  renders  it  good,  obedient  and 
pliable,  and  strengthens  it.  Regeneration  is  a  new  cre- 
ation, a  resurrection  from  the  dead.  It  is  a  supernat- 
ural work.  The  manner  of  its  operation  cannot  be  folly 
comprehended  in  this  life.  The  grace  of  regeneration 
does  not  treat  men  as  senseless  stocks  and  blocks.  It 
does  not  take  away  their  wills  or  do  violence  to  them.  It 
spiritually  quickens,  heals  and  corrects,  and  at  the  same 
time  sweetly  and  powerfully  bends  them.  As  in  prolong- 
ing and  supporting  natural  life  God  uses  means,  so  the 
supernatural  operations  of  God  in  regeneration  do  not 
exclude  the  use  of  the  Gospel,  which  is  the  seed  of  re- 
generation and  the  food  of  the  soul. 

The  fifth  Head,  the  Perseverance  of  the  Saints,  was 
set  forth  in  fifteen  articles.  Those  whom  He  called  and 
regenerated,  God  delivers  from  the  dominion  of  sin,  but 
not  altogether  from  the  body  of  it,  so  long  as  they  re- 
remain  in  this  world.  Hence  they  are  troubled  with 
many  infirmities.  By  reason  of  these  indwelling  sins, 
the  converted  could  not  persevere  in  grace  if  left  to  their 
own  strength.  But  the  faithful  God  preserves  them  in 
it.  The  converted,  when  they  neglect  watching  and 
prayer,  often  comply  with  the  lusts  of  the  flesh.  Some- 
times they  are  drawn  into  enormous  sins,  by  which  they 
offend  God  and  grieve  the  Holy  Spirit,  The  merciful 
God  does  not  wholly  withdraw  his  Spirit  from  them, 
but,  according  to  his  unchangeable  purpose  of  election, 
He  renews  them  to  a  sincere  repentance.  The  assur- 
ance of  the  preservation  of  the  elect  to  salvation  springs 
not  from  any  peculiar  revelation  contrary  to,  or  inde- 
pendent of,  the  Word  of  God,  but  from  faith  in  God's 
15 


170    REFORMED    CHURCH  IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

promises,  from  the  witness  of  the  Spirit  with  our  spirits, 
and  from  a  holy  desire  to  preserve  a  good  conscience 
and  to  perform  good  works.  Believers  struggle  with 
doubts,  and  God  makes  a  way  of  escape.  The  certainty 
of  perseverance  does  not  make  believers  carnally  secure, 
but  serves  as  an  incentive  to  the  serious  and  constantly 
calls  for  gratitude.  It  does  not  produce  laxity  in  be- 
lievers, but  renders  them  much  more  solicitous  to  con- 
tinue in  the  ways  of  the  Lord. 

The  Synod  then  exhorted  all  who  call  upon  our  Saviour 
Jesus  Christ,  not  to  judge  of  the  faith  of  the  Reformed 
from  the  slanders  that  have  been  heaped  up  against  it ; 
nor,  from  the  utterances  of  ancient  and  modern  teachers, 
which  were  frequently  misunderstood  or  perverted  by 
those  that  heard  them;  but  from  the  public  Confession 
of  the  Church  in  those  Canons.  It  also  urged  all  minis- 
ters to  refrain  from  such  expressions  as  go  beyond  the 
limits  imposed  by  Holy  Scripture. 

The  preparation  of  these  Canons  which  contain  the 
formulated  statement  of  the  faith  of  the  Reformed  con- 
cerning the  doctrines  controverted  by  the  Remonstrants, 
was  the  chief  work  of  the  Synod,  accomplished  in  153 
sessions.  But  there  were  other  matters  of  great  impor- 
tance to  which  it  gave  careful  attention.  The  legisla- 
tion upon  these  is  known  as  the  Post- Acta. 


DEFENSIVE    PEEIOD.  171 


XL 

THE    POST-ACTA    01   IHE    SYNOD    OB    1  BT. 

The  proceedings  of  the  Synod  after  the  departure  of 
the  foreign  delegates,  are  known  as  the  Pc  st-Ad 
commenced  a:  the  155th   session,  and  we]  aued 

through  the  180th,  when   the  final  adjournment   took 
place.      At  the  suggestion  of  the  Synod  of  Leyden in 
-.  and  by  S       Js-General  May 

and  of  the  Synod  of  Sehoonhoven.  held  in  the 
same  year,  they  were  translated  from  the  L  ]  the 

Dutch.     Under  the  sopervision  >ffourDe]   itati  Synodi 
of  the  Synod  of  South  Holland,  they  sd  in 

that  ;      _      ge  in  the  y.  They  relate  to  a  va; 

of  interesting  to]  ics.  such  as  chnrch  ordinances,  the  J    - 
Patronatus.  church  visitati   :  .  the  call  to  theminisl 
office,  correspondc  qp  gis      tes     ad    i   usis- 

i:    iast-daySj  the  hymns  to  be  song  in  church,  the 
baptism   of   Roman    Catholics,    the  o"  ;-;-   of  the 

ath.  the  marriage  relation,  college  professors,  the 
be  signed  by  new  ministers,  the  baptism  of  the 
sick  and   of  adults,  the  visitation  of  the   sick,  a  new 
translation  of   the    Bi  _  a        - 

minisl  rsJ    salaries,    the    liturgy,    and   other    ma: 
S  tne   of  these   had  received  attention  at  the 
sessions  of  the  Synod.     As  has  be*      -  fore3 

the  Synod  directed  the  n  s  of  the  Remon- 

pear  bet;  a  the 

day  of  their  citation.     Du:     _        se  two  weeks: 
chism  and  the  proposed  new  translation  of  the  Bible  had 


172    REFORMED    CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

been  considered.  At  that  time  the  former  question  was 
finally  disposed  of,  and  therefore  the  action  of  the 
Synod  in  regard  to  it  properly  has  no  place  among  the 
Post- Acta.  The  legislation  upon  it,  however,  is  here 
mentioned  for  the  great  interest  that  attaches  to  it. 

The  Heidelberg  Catechism  was  declared  by  the  Synod 
to  be  accordant  in  all  respects  with  the  Word  of  God. 
It  was  called  an  admirably  composed,  short  compendium 
of  the  orthodox  Christian  doctrine;  wisely  adapted  to 
the  comprehension  of  tender  youths,  and  also  to  the 
more  elaborate  instruction  of  adults.  Besides  the  work 
in  its  original  form,  approval  was  given  to  two  other 
arrangements,  to  suit  the  capacities  of  pupils  of  different 
ages.  The  one  for  small  'children  contained  the  Creed, 
the  Ten  Commandments,  the  Lord's  Prayer,  and  the 
institution  of  the  Sacraments,  with  short  prayers  and 
simple  questions;  the  other,  the  Catechism  simplified. 

The  Synod  issued  directions  concerning  the  instruction 
that  was  to  be  imparted  from  the  Catechism,  so  that 
persons  of  an  advanced  age,  as  well  as  the  children  and 
youths,  might  secure  a  sufficient  knowledge  of  the  cardi- 
nal doctrines  of  the  true  religion. 

In  the  first  place,  parents  were  exhorted  to  enjoin  the 
study  of  the  Catechism  upon  all  the  household,  and  dili- 
gently to  teach  therein  the  fear  of  God  and  true  piety. 

Then,  also,  such  instruction  was  to  be  given  in  the 
day-schools.  The  Synod  urged  the  establishment  of 
schools,  not  only  in  the  cities,  but  also  in  the  villages 
where  they  did  not  previously  exist.  It  requested  the 
magistrates  to  give  the  schoolmaster  an  honorable  com- 
pensation, so  that  the  children  of  the  poor  might  secure 
their  education  gratuitously.  None  were  permitted  to 
teach,  except  such  as  had  the  testimony  of  a  genuine 
faith  and  a  pious  life. 


DEFENSIVE   PERIOD.  173 

But  the  greatest  pressure  was  laid  upon  the  ministry. 
Every  pastor  was  required  to  preach  from  the  Catechism 
on  each  Sabbath  afternoon.  The  discourse  was  to  be 
short  and  adapted  to  the  capacities  of  all,  whether  old 
or  young,  educated  or  ignorant.  It  was  added  that  a 
neglect  of  this  duty  would  expose  the  offender  to  ecclesi- 
astical punishment.  For  this  action  there  seemed  to  be 
a  special  call,  from  the  fact  that  in  some  parts  of  the 
land  the  custom  of  preaching  from  the  Catechism,  on 
Sunday  afternoons,  was  fast  falling  into  desuetude.  In 
some  cases  the  pastor  had  become  careless.  In  others, 
excuses  were  made  that  when  a  minister  had  charge  of 
two  parishes,  he  could  not  preach  from  the  Catechism  in 
both  at  the  same  time.  Some  also  pleaded  the  unwill- 
ingness of  the  people  to  give  up  their  recreations  on 
Sunday  afternoons,  for  the  sake  of  attending  catechetical 
preaching. 

The  advice  of  the  foreign  delegates  having  been  asked, 
some  of  them  replied  that,  in  their  countries,  the  neglect 
of  the  people  to  be  present  at  catechetical  instruction, 
was  punished  with  fine  and  imprisonment.  When  they 
were  asked  what  course  was  pursued  in  their  respective 
countries,  so  as  to  secure  the  acquisition,  by  the  young- 
people,  of  the  contents  of  the  Catechism,  the  delegates 
from  Switzerland  and  Hessel  said  that  whenever  in  their 
country  a  young  couple  desired  to  marry,  they  were  re- 
quired previously  to  appear  before  the  pastor,  to  be  ex- 
amined in  the  Catechism.  If  their  knowledge  was  found 
to  be  defective,  their  wedding  was  to  be  postponed  until 
they  showed  more  familiarity  with  it. 

A  new  translation  of  the  Bible  had  been  resolved  upon 
at  the  6th  session.  At  the  177th  session  a  letter  to  the 
States  was  prepared,  asking  for  their  consent  to  the 
enterprise,  and  aid  in  it.     Long  ago  the  work  had  been 


174    REFORMED   CHURCH  IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

committed  to  St.  Aldegonde,  together  with  Warnerus 
Helmichius  and  Arnoldus  Cornelius,  pastors  at  Delft 
and  Amsterdam.  But  before  it  had  been  begun,  all  three 
were  removed  by  death. 

The  Synod  entrusted  it  to  three  scholars  for  each  Tes- 
tament, under  the  supervision  of  overseers  appointed  by 
the  respective  States,  to  insure  a  faithful  rendering. 
Not  long  after  this  Synodical  resolution,  two  of  these 
six  scholars  died,  and  their  places  were  filled  by  the 
States.  The  committee  did  not  fairly  get  to  work  until 
1625.  The  Synod  had  given  it  some  hints  in  refer- 
ence to  certain  particulars.  John  Hales,  who  had  been 
sent  by  the  King  of  England  to  take  notes,  relates  that 
the  Synod  was  a  long  time-  in  determining  whether  the 
pronoun,  in  addresses  to  God,  should  be  rendered  in  the 
singular  or  the  plural  form.  The  latter  was  preferred. 
The  Synod  also  resolved  that  the  Hebrew  word  Jehovah 
should  be  rendered  Lord,  and  printed  in  capital  letters. 
Elohim  was  to  be  translated  God.  Hebrew  proper  names 
were  to  be  retained,  and  in  some  cases  their  meanings  were 
to  be  given  in  the  marginal  notes.  Topographical  and 
chronological  facts  were  to  be  added,  and  genealogical 
registers  prepared.  All  pictorial  ornaments  on  the  title- 
page  and  at  the  beginnings  of  chapters,  that  might  give 
offence,  were  to  be  carefully  avoided. 

In  1633  the  Old  Testament  was  completed.  During 
the  following  year  the  New  Testament  was  finished,  and 
also  the  Apocryphal  books.  Upon  the  latter,  however, 
the  Synod  did  not  require  the  same  care  to  be  bestowed 
as  upon  the  canonical  Scriptures. 

Before  the  translation  was  completed  two  more  mem- 
bers of  the  committee  died,  but  their  places  were  not 
filled.  Indeed,  the  great  work  was  done  at  Leyden  under 
very  painful  circumstances.     At  that  time  the  city  was 


DEFENSIVE   PERIOD.  175 

devastated  by  a  teirible  plague,  by  the  ravages  of  which 
20,000  people  perished,  "  We  were  permitted  to  labor," 
one  of  the  translators  wrote,  "in  the  enjoyment  of  good 
health,  and  in  a  holy  cheerfulness  of  spirit,  though  we 
were  located  in  the  neighborhood  of  a  cemetery  to  which 
we  often  saw  one  hundred  corpses  conveyed  in  a  single 
day." 

On  October  10,  1635,  the  translation  was  ready  for 
the  press,  and  two  years  later  the  first  printed  edition 
saw  the  light.  By  most  scholars  it  was  regarded  as  ex- 
act, its  language  excellent,  and  the  marginal  notes  as 
very  helpful.  Even  the  Remonstrants  were  pleased  with 
it.  Some  of  the  Reformed  said  they  saw  in  it  the  taint 
of  heterodoxy.  The  city  of  Amsterdam  especially  disap- 
proved it.  It  was  many  years  before  the  Staten-byhel,  as  it 
was  called  because  made  under  the  auspices  of  the  States- 
General,  replaced  the  Bible  formerly  in  use.  The  manu- 
scripts of  the  translation  were  carefully  preserved.  It 
was  customary  for  the  archives  of  the  early  synods  to  be 
examined  triennially  by  committees  appointed  by  each 
of  the  Provincial  Synods.  After  1641  the  same  was  done 
with  these  manuscripts,  until  1794,  when  the  practice 
was  abandoned. 

The  Synod  thoroughly  revised  the  liturgy.  In  1611 
another  edition  had  appeared  of  the  versification  of  the 
Psalms  by  Datheuus.  Among  the  liturgical  forms  in  this 
volume  is  a  prayer  for  the  divine  blessing  upon  daily 
labor;  of  this  prayer,  however,  there  are  no  vestiges 
after  the  great  Synod  of  Dort.  Nearly  the  same  fate 
befell  the  form  for  the  consolation  of  the  sick,  which  is 
now  but  seldom  used,  if  at  all.  It  was  composed,  say 
some,  by  Caspar  Van  Der  Heyden,  who  presided  at  the 
synod  of  Embden  (1571);  others  say,  on  better  grounds, 
by  Cornelius  Van  Hill,  who  during  1589-1598  was  pas- 


176    REFORMED    CHURCH   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

tor  in  Leyden.  It  was  added  by  the  Synod  of  the  Hague 
(1586).  It  was  full  of  divine  truth  and  spiritual  sweet- 
ness. How  well  adapted  it  was  to  the  soul,  in  the  extreme 
hour,  even  under  the  most  trying  circumstances,  may  be 
inferred  from  the  fact  that  the  great  John  of  Olden- 
Barneveldt  desired  it  to  be  read  to  him  by  Hugo  Bey- 
erus,  pastor  in  the  Hague,  just  before  he  was  led  out  to 
execution;  declaring  that  in  the  confession  of  faith 
therein  contained  he  was  willing  to  die. 

The  Synod  also  made  some  additions  to  the  liturgy. 
They  consisted  of  the  prayer  before  consistorial  meeting; 
the  prayer  before  the  meeting  of  the  deacons;  and  the 
form  for  the  baptism  of  adults, — composed  about  1604. 
For  the  last  a  need  had  arisen  in  the  fact  that  numbers 
of  the  Baptists  had  sought  a  union  with  the  Reformed 
Church.  The  form  was  given  a  place  in  the  liturgy 
between  the  offices  for  the  administration  of  infant- 
baptism  and  the  administration  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 

The  Synod  not  having  completed  the  revision  before 
its  adjournment,  committed  it  to  Festus  Hommius,  pas- 
tor at  Leyden.  By  him  it  was  finished  in  1621,  and 
laid  before  the  Synod  of  South  Holland,  at  Rotterdam. 
By  that  body  it  was  submitted  to  other  Provincial 
Synods,  and  then  published. 

The  next  revision  occurred  at  Schoonhoven  in  1731, 
when  the  language  was  made  to  conform  to  the  version 
of  the  annotated  Bible  prepared  by  direction  of  the 
States-General. 

In  1776,  at  Delft,  it  was  proposed  to  revise  the  liturgy 
the  third  time.  The  design  was  "to  purify  it  from  all 
antiquated  words,  expressions  and  phrases."  As  the 
churches  of  Zeeland  and  Drenthe  were  not  accustomed 
to  send  delegates  to  the  Provincial  Synods  of  the  North, 
and  their  support  was  desired,  attempts  were  made  to 


DEFENSIVE  PERIOD.  177 

ascertain  their  opinion.  But,  after  all,  the  project;  was 
abandoned,  in  the  fear  lest  the  execution  of  the  plan 
should  result  in  disturbing  the  peace  of  the  Church.'" 

The  Confession  of  faith  was  also  revised  and  approved 
by  the  Synod  of  Dordrecht.  The  foreign  delegates  called 
it  an  orthodox  and  a  saving  Confession.  They  exhorted 
the  home  delegates  to  preserve  it  unadulterated  until 
the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  A  unanimous  as- 
sent was  given  to  their  exhortation. 

The  Synod  urged  the  States- General  to  provide  for  the 
establishment  of  foreign  missions  in  the  East  India  pos- 
sessions, and  in  all  countries  which  were  destitute  of 
the  knowledge  of  the  true  God,  and  to  which  God  has 
opened  a  path. 

A  form  of  subscription  was  composed,  by  which  minis- 
ters, professors  of  theology,  regents  and  under-regents 
of  colleges,  and  all  teachers  should  solemnly  promise  to 
set  forth,  diligently  and  faithfully  maintain,  the  doc- 
trine contained  in  the  Confession,  the  Catechism  and 
the  Canons  of  Dordrecht,  without  undertaking  anything 
in  opposition  to  them,  either  directly  or  indirectly;  but, 
on  the  contrary,  declaring  that  in  all  things  they  are  con- 
formable to  the  Word  of  God. 

In  regard  to  Church  ordinances  there  had  formerly 
been  much  dispute.  The  Synod  desired  that  the 
different  provincial  Church  ordinances  might  be  uni- 
fied; and  also  that  the  States-General,  who  had  already 
so  largely  acceded  to  the  wishes  of  the  Synod  in 
other  matters,  would  confirm  the  ordinance  of  1586, 
which  was  very  favorable  to  independent  ecclesiastical 
authority.  The  States,  however,  refused  to  do  so.  The 
Synod  then  framed  another  ordinance.  Based  on  the 
ordinance  of  1586  and  incorporating  much  of  it,  it 
failed  to  secure  the  approval  of  the  government. 


178    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 


XII 

THE  ADJOURNMENT   OF   THE   SYNOD   OF   DORDRECHT. 

The  last  session,  which  was  the  180th,  was  held  on 
Wednesday,  May  25th,  1619,  at  eight  o'clock.  After  a 
short  prayer,  the  Synod,  the  political  delegates  in  advance, 
marched,  each  college  of  deputies  by  itself,  to  the  great 
church  of  Dordrecht.  As  the  procession  passed  the 
hall  of  Common  Council,  it  was  joined  by  the  magis- 
trates of  the  city.  After  the  Synod  had  occupied  the 
space  reserved  for  it,  the  throng  entered  and  filled  the 
vast  building  to  its  utmost  capacity.  A  sermon  was 
preached  by  the  pastor,  Balthasar  Lydius  from  Isa.  xii. 
1-3:  "  And  in  that  day  thou  shalt  say,  0  Lord,  I  will 
praise  thee:  though  thou  wast  angry  with  me,  thine 
anger  is  turned  away  and  thou  comfortedst  me.  Be- 
hold, God  is  my  salvation:  I  will  trust  and  not  be 
afraid  :  for  the  Lord  Jehovah  is  my  strength  and  my 
song ;  he  also  is  become  my  salvation.  Therefore 
with  joy  shall  ye  draw  water  out  of  the  wells  of  salva- 
tion." The  preacher  applied  his  discourse  to  the  politi- 
cal condition  of  the  land  and  the  peculiar  state  of  the 
Church.  His  points  were:  I.  God  sometimes  visits  his 
people  in  wrath.  II.  In  such  case  his  children  must 
not  complain,  but  invoke  divine  help.  III.  Deliverance 
having  been  obtained,  grateful  praises  are  due  to  the 
Author  of  it.     At  the  close  he  said: 

"  The  Church  has  been  delivered  from  the  enemies 
who  disturbed  it.  The  doctrine  of  the  Church  has  been 
established.     The  persons  who  declared  that  this  doc- 


DEFENSIVE  PERIOD.  179 

trine  was  held  by  a  few  doctors  only,  are  confounded. 
Xot  only  the  churches  in  this  country,  but  all  other 
churches  have  subscribed  it.  It  had  always  been 
claimed  that  the  points  in  dispute  must  be  decided  by 
a  General  Synod.  This  has  now  been  done.  The  Lord 
took  away  all  pretended  hindrances  to  the  holding  of 
such  a  synod.  The  work  progressed  and  was  brought 
to  a  successful  termination.  All  gratitude  is  due  to 
God  for  this.  Gratitude  is  to  be  shown  not  only  in 
words,  but  also  in  deeds,  particularly  by  faithful  at- 
tendance upon  divine  service.  In  regard  to  this  last 
there  is  too  much  negligence,  deserving  of  punish- 
ment." 

After  the  sermon  God  was  earnestly  and  devoutly  be- 
sought to  bring  all  the  resolutions  of  the  Synod  to  a 
happy  execution,  promotive  of  the  best  interests  of  the 
Church.  The  service  in  the  church  over,  the  Synod,  the 
political  delegates,  and  the  magistrates  returned  in  the 
same  order.  At  the  hall  of  the  Common  Council, 
the  magistrates,  the  President  of  the  Synod  and  the 
adsessors  entered  it,  the  procession  continuing  its 
march  without  them  to  the  usual  place  of  meeting. 
President  Bogerman,  in  the  hall  of  the  Common  Coun- 
cil, thanked  the  magistrates  of  Dordrecht,  in  the  name 
of  the  Synod,  "  for  the  singular  piety,  politeness,  and 
generosity  which  they  had  kindly  shown  to  the  churches 
of  the  Netherlands  and  to  their  Synod."  The  magis- 
trates replied  by  thanking  the  Synod  for  the  service  it 
had  rendered  to  the  Church  of  God  and  the  Avhole  land, 
and  by  declaring  their  willingness  to  aid  the  Church  in 
general,  and  every  congregation  in  particular. 

The  President  and  the  adsessors  having  joined  the 
Synod  in  the  usual  place  of  meeting,  a  short  prayer  was 
offered,  and  the  hall  was  cleared  of  spectators.     Then 


180    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

the  Synod  listened  to  an  eloquent  address  by  Lord  Hugh 
Musius  Van  Holen,  in  the  name  of  the  political  dele- 
gates. The  President  replied.  He  praised  the  political 
delegates  for  the  prudence  and  unwearied  diligence  with 
which  they  had  directed  the  acts  of  the  Synod.  He 
thanked  them  for  their  advice,  and  trusted  that 
God  would  reward  them.  He  begged  that  anything 
unbecoming  that  might  have  occurred  through  hu- 
man infirmity,  might  be  forgiven.  Sir  Hugh  Musius 
answered  that  the  political  delegates  were  highly  satis- 
fied with  all  the  synodical  proceedings.  The  President 
then  turned  and  addressed  the  Synod,  closing  with  the 
prayer  that  "  they  might  at  last  all  assemble  in  the 
Heavenly  Synod,  to  love  and  praise  the  Lord  with  one 
mind  throughout  eternity."  Once  more  Musius,  in  the 
name  of  his  associates,  commended  the  Synod  for  what 
it  had  accomplished.  A  solemn  prayer  of  thanksgiving 
was  then  offered  and  the  Synod  was  declared  adjourned. 
After  much  shaking  of  hands,  the  members  separated. 
On  the  same  day  Sir  Musius  Van  Holen,  the  Mayor  of 
Dordrecht;  Simon  Scott,  Secretary  of  the  City  of  Mid- 
delburg;  Frederic  Van  Zuilen,  Lord  of  Artsbergen; 
President  Bogerman,  the  adsessors,  the  scribes,  and 
Professor  Polyander  went  to  The  Hague,  and  on  May 
30th  reported  to  the  States-General,  at  first  orally  and 
afterwards  in  writing,  all  that  had  been  done  by  the 
Synod.  Upon  their  return  to  Dordrecht — whence  they 
soon  departed  for  their  homes — they  found  that  of  all 
the  great  company  that  had  been  there  for  so  many 
months,  only  a  few  political  delegates  were  left.  These 
remained  a  short  time  for  the  purpose  of  settling  some 
financial  matters.  The  fifteen  Remonstrants,  who  had 
been  at  the  Synod,  continued  under  arrest  in  the 
city. 


DEFENSIVE   PEKIOD.  181 

Thus  this  great  meeting,  which  has  left  its  impress 
upon  the  ages,  came  to  an  end.  The  expense  was  enor- 
mous, far  exceeding  the  amount  that  ■  had  been  appro- 
priated. It  is  said  to  have  reached  1,000,000  florins. 
Some  claim  that  this  is  an  exaggerated  statement;  but, 
when  a  few  of  the  items  of  expenditure  are  considered, 
it  is  evident  that  the  cost  must  have  run  up  to  a  very 
high  figure.  The  traveling  expenses  of  the  foreign 
delegates  were  paid.  While  they  were  in  the  Nether- 
lands, they  received  each  a  daily  allowance  of  twenty-four 
florins,  besides  their  expenses  for  fire  and  light.  The 
British  theologians  received  eighty  florins  each  per  day. 
Why  this  increased  amount  in  their  case  does  not  ap- 
pear. The  twenty  gold  medals  and  chains  bestowed  on 
the  foreign  delegates  cost  four  thousand  florins.  The 
home  delegates  had  each  four  florins  a  day,and  ah  the  close 
of  the  Synod  received  each  a  silver  medal.  The  Presi- 
dent had  an  allowance  of  thirteen  florins  per  diem,  and 
the  adsessors  received  each,  besides  his  four  florins,  a 
present  of  three  hundred  florins.  The  Lord  of  Brederode 
had  for  his  services  three  thousand  florins,  and  Counsel- 
lor Honart  was  rewarded  with  one  hundred  and  eighty 
florins.  The  political  delegates  received  each  six  florins 
per  day  and  a  silver  medal.  The  fifteen  Remonstrants 
had  a  daily  allowance  of  four  florins  each. 

But,  great  as  was  the  expense  of  the  Synod,  it  was 
accounted  by  the  Contra-Remonstrants  only  a  trifle  in 
comparison  with  the  resulting  benefits.  Pernicious  in- 
novations, said  they,  have  been  plucked  up  by  the  roots. 
The  true  doctrine,  from  the  first  adopted  by  the  Re- 
formed Church,  has  been  established.  Peace  has  been 
restored  to  the  Church  and  the  State.  A  prospect  has 
been  opened  for  the  spread  of  the  pure  truth. 

The  decrees  against  the  Remonstrants  were  vigorously 
16 


182    REFORMED    CHURCH   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

enforced.  The  ministers,  who  would  not  sign  the 
"  Act  of  Silence,"  were  plunged  with  their  families 
into  much  distress.  The  execution  of  the  civil  laws 
against  the  Remonstrants  began  to  assume  the  form  of 
violent  persecution.  The  principle  of  liberty  of  reli- 
gion was  not  yet  developed.  There  seemed  to  be  a 
reason  for  the  complaint  uttered  by  the  oppressed,  in 
lines  which  may  be  thus  translated: 

O  woful  condition  of  our  loved  land! 
Afflictions  abound  on  every  hand. 
Toward  those  who  take  the  Remonstrant  part, 
Anger  is  felt  in  the  popular  heart. 

The  conscience  of  man  once  more  is  bound, 
And  again  the  inquisitor  holds  his  ground. 
With  prisons  and  exile  the  people  are  pressed, 
And  women  as  well  as  men  are  distressed, 

Who  could  have  imagined  such  evils  could  be 
In  a  country  which  fought  that  it  might  be  free, 
And  willingly  suffered  great  losses  and  pains 
In  the  effort  to  cast  off  its  hateful  chains? 

It  certainly  causes  a  strange  surprise 
That  a  people  Reformed  should  act  in  this  wise — 
As  to  bring  tears  and  sorrows  even  on  those 
Who  shared  in  the  struggle  against  the  land's  foes. 

Now  look  at  this  trait  of  the  Calvinist  sect; 
Their  character  has  this  most  grievous  defect, — 
They  wish  not  that  bonds  on  themselves  should  be  laid, 
To  lay  them  on  others  they  are  not  afraid. 

An  effect  of  the  Synod  appears  to  have  been  that  the 
bond  between  Church  and  State  was  drawn  closer.  The 
Synod  thought  that  the  result  would  have  been  just 
the  opposite.  But  it  was  mistaken.  The  State  was 
willing  to  maintain  the  doctrine  of  Calvin.  It  was  not 
willing  to  give  up   its  control  over  the  Church.     The 


DEFENSIVE  PERIOD.  183 

call  for  the  Synod  had  gone  out  from  the  State.  Its  ap- 
proval of  all  the  synodical  proceedings  had  been  asked  for 
and  obtained.  Its  delegates  had  supervised  the  meeting. 
The  enforcement  by  the  State  of  its  acts  against  the  Re- 
monstrants was  expected.  The  State  felt  that  it  had 
gained  an  advantage,  and  it  was  not  disposed  to  give  it 
up.  This  peculiar  relation  between  the  Church  and  the 
State  was  destined  to  continue  during  more  than  a 
century  and  a  half  longer. 

With  the  adjournment  of  the  Synod  of  Dordrecht, 
the  defensive  period  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  the 
Netherlands  came  to  an  end. 


PERIOD  OF  DANGER. 


B\£7t£T£  }u~i  tiS  vpids  i'ffrai  6  6v\ayGoyGov  Sia  tjjS 
q)i\o(joq)iaS  nai  HSvfjs  anarr/^y  Kara  ri]v  napado- 
6 iv  tgjv  av6f>GD7ZGov,  uar  a  xa  6roix£ia  rov  xoGpioVy 
uai  ov  uara  Xpi&rov. 


As  the  formative  period  of  the  Eeformed  Church  in 
the  Netherlands,  ending  with  the  Synod  of  Middelburg 
(1581),  merged  into  the  defensive,  ending  with  the  great 
National  Synod  of  Dordrecht  (1619),  so  the  latter  period 
merged  into  that  of  danger.  These  periods  are  not  so 
distinctly  defined  that  a  line  can  be  sharply  drawn  be- 
tween them.  They  overlap  and  predict  each  other.  The 
student  of  the  formative  period  expects  the  defensive; 
and  no  sooner  has  his  expectation  been  realized  than 
he  anticipates  that  of  danger.  Before  he  has  gone  mid- 
way into  the  study  of  the  third  period,  he  looks  for  the 
fourth— that  of  a  possible,  if  not  an  actual,  disintegra- 
tion. 

The  period  of  danger  is  contained  within  the  cen- 
tury bounded  by  the  years  1620  and  1720.  It  is  a 
period  full  of  interest,  and  therefore  well  worthy  of  a 
careful  examination.  Men  arose  in  the  course  of  it 
whose  imperishable  names  are  as  household  words  on 
every  scholar's  lips.  Schemes  of  philosophy  have  been 
framed  in  it  whose  influence  on  speculative  and  practi- 
cal theology  will  never  cease.  It  is  a  shining  commen- 
tary upon  the  teaching  of  God's  Word,  that  "it  is  an 
evil  thing  and  a  bitter  to  forsake  the  Lord  our  God;" 
that  it  is  not  a  light  thing  to  despise  God's  holy  things; 
and,  that  "a  house  divided  against  itself  cannot 
stand." 


188    REFORMED   CHURCH  IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

The  political  aspects  of  the  century  cannot  be  ig- 
nored, for  the  State  still  remained  in  close  union  with 
the  Church  and  did  not  always  affect  it  favorably.  Its 
interference  with  things  purely  ecclesiastical  was  un- 
wise. Its  peculiar  attitude  toward  it  was  determined 
by  jealousy,  by  social  considerations,  and  by  the  self-in- 
terest of  the  regents  in  power  during  a  twice-repeated 
interregnum.  This  jealousy  lest  the  Church  should 
gain  an  undue  influence,  aggravated  no  doubt  by  the  in- 
trigues of  the  Remonstrants  who  were  recovering  from 
their  defeat,  led  to  a  resolution  by  the  States  of  Holland 
forbidding  ministers  to  preach  on  what  were  deemed 
political  topics. 

Socially  there  was  a  lack  of  perfect  harmony.  While 
the  members  of  the  government  belonged  to  the  nobility, 
or  to  the  wealthier  classes,  the  ministry  was  supplied 
from  the  humbler  ranks.  To  such  a  degree  were  the 
ministers  at  times  despised  that  it  was  considered  a 
calamity  to  a  rich  wife  for  one  of  them  to  marry  her. 
From  motives  of  self-interest,  also,  the  magistrates 
failed  to  promote  the  welfare  of  the  Church  as  a  body, — 
particularly  when  the  people  were  divided  upon  certain 
political  measures  or  theological  views,  and  when  the 
ministers  took  sides  with  Regent  or  Stadtholder,  Calvin- 
ists  or  Remonstrants. 

Politically  the  century  falls  into  five  divisions.  The 
first  of  them  covers  the  balance  of  the  reign  of  Prince 
Maurice,  until  1625,  when  he  died;  the  second,  the 
reign  of  his  brother  Frederic  Henry,  until  1647;  the 
third,  that  of  his  son  William  II.,  who  was  in  power 
only  a  short  time,  he  dying  in  his  twenty-fourth  year  in 
1650;  the  fourth  was  an  interregnum  of  twenty -two 
years;  and  the  fifth,  the  Stadtholderate  of  William  III. 
(1672-1702),  who,  as  the  husband  of  the  English  Mary, 
also  ascended  the  throne  of  England. 


PERIOD   OF   DANGER.  189 

Doctrinally  the  Church  stood  throughout  this 
period  just  where  the  great  Synod  of  Dort  left  it.  It 
continued  to  cling,  nominally  at  least,  to  its  Confession, 
its  Catechism,  and  its  Canons.  Its  resolution  to  do  so  re- 
ceived strength  from  the  decree  passed  at  the  Great  As- 
sembly of  the  States-General  in  the  Hague  in  1651,  over 
which  good  Father  Jacob  Cats  presided,  to  the  effect 
that  they  would  abide  by  the  doctrines  of  the  Reformed 
Church.  While  other  religions  would  be  tolerated  to  a 
certain  extent,  orthodox  Calvinism  should  remain  the 
state  religion.  But  alas!  this  zeal  for  the  form  of  doc- 
trine came  to  be  in  general  all  of  religious  life  which  the 
Church  manifested,  until  it  was  a  serious  question  which 
thoughtful  men  asked  themselves  and  others,  whether 
the  salt  was  not  fast  losing  its  savor. 

The  evils  that  beset  the  Church,  and  which  were  the 
largest  sources  of  the  dangers  that  threatened  it,  were 
such  as  to  undermine  its  spiritual  health  and  to  prey 
upon  its  very  vitals.  They  were  threefold.  The  first 
was  the  introduction  of  two  systems  of  philosophy,  the 
effect  of  which  was  to  influence  many  to  depart  from 
the  faith  as  it  was  expressed  in  the  standards  of  the  Re- 
formed. The  system  which  makes  a  merit  of  doubting 
everything  except  the  bare  proposition,  "  Cogito,  ergo 
sum " — I  think,  therefore  I  exist — is  not  in  harmony 
with  the  spirit  which  is  content  that  reason,  in  respect 
to  matters  that  are  beyond  its  ken,  shall  be  subordi- 
nate to  faith. 

A  system,  too,  which  recognizes  only  two  universal  sub- 
stances— -thought  and  extension — and  regards  them  as 
properties  of  God,  easily  falls  into  the  error  of  identify- 
ing the  Creator  with  the  creature,  and  of  degrading  the 
government  exercised  by  a  supramundane  and  personal 
God,  into  the  despotic  rule  of  an  iron-moulded  fatalism. 


190    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

The  elimination,  by  any  system,  of  God  as  the  Bible  re- 
veals Him,  weakens  the  moral  sense  and  leads  to  a 
dangerous  disregard  of  the  sanctions  of  theocratic 
law. 

The  second  evil  was  the  prevalence  within  the  Church 
of  those  conflicts  which  threatened  its  disruption.  They 
arose  from  the  effort  to  modify  the  influence  of  the 
Aristotelian  philosophy  upon  speculative  and  practical 
theology.  The  result  was  that  the  pure  Gospel  was  no 
more  offered  from  the  pulpits,  and  dry  dialectical  dis- 
quisitions were  substituted  for  it.  Spirituality  declined 
among  the  people,  and  the  cause  of  an  exalted  morality 
was  seriously  compromised.  Two  hostile  camps  were 
formed,  into  which  the  entire  Church  resolved  itself. 
These  may  be  styled,  respectively,  theological  libertines 
and  theological  conservatives. 

Each  of  these  armies,  not  content  to  follow  its  leaders 
into  the  battle  against  its  opponents,  began,  as  is  gener- 
ally the  case  when  the  one  leadership  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  is  ignored,  to  quarrel  within  its  own  ranks,  and 
to  fill  the  sanctuaries  which  it  claimed,  with  discordant 
watchwords  and  with  bitter  denunciations  of  even  an 
ally  who  happened  to  adopt  a  slightly  different  tone  of 
thought  or  form  of  expression.  Nor  was  this  all.  Each 
party  had  its  own  domestic  as  well  as  religious  customs, 
and  its  peculiarities  of  dressing  the  hair,  of  apparel,  and 
of  deportment. 

Then,  thirdly,  there  was  the  influence  of  wealth  and 
a  soul-destroying  luxury.  During  the  reign  of  Prince 
Frederic  Heniy,  the  god  of  this  world  came  to  be  ex- 
alted upon  the  throne  of  an  unexampled  commercial 
prosperity.  At  the  Hague,  one  of  the  rooms  of  the 
Stadtholder's  palace  was  furnished  with  oriental  mag- 
nificence, and  food  was  served  from  golden  dishes.     In 


PERIOD    OF   DANGER.  191 

1637  was  the  famous  speculation, — the  tulip-craze — 
which  spread  from  Haarlem  and  Amsterdam  throughout 
the  entire  country.  For  one  bulb  2500  florins  were 
often  paid,  and  in  one  instance  4600  florins  and  a  coach 
with  a  span  of  horses.  It  is  no  wonder  that  the  dis- 
tracting customs  introduced  as  a  result  of  the  intimacy 
between  the  Netherlands  and  England  during  the  time 
of  William  III.,  and  of  the  contact  with  France  occa- 
sioned by  the  reception  of  the  refugees  whom  the  revoca- 
tion of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  had  driven  out,  found  a 
ready  entrance. 

Now,  while  attempts  were  made  to  check  the  opera- 
tion of  these  evils,  the  danger  soon  appeared  of  more  at- 
tention being  devoted  to  the  symbols  than  to  the  Bible 
itself;  to  the  forms  of  scholasticism  than  to  the  simpli- 
city of  gospel  truth;  to  orthodoxy  rather  than  to  the 
faith  that  worketh  by  love. 

The  mystical  form,  which  the  reaction  from  all  this 
took  was  also  unhealthy.  It  is  not  surprising  that 
they  to  whom  the  religious  teachings  of  the  times  were 
wholly  insufficient,  and  who  shrank  from  the  infidelity 
that  was  gaining  ground,  and  from  the  so-called  Chris- 
tian liberty  advocated  by  Peter  Bayle  and  De  Patot, 
sought  a  refuge  somewhere.  They  found  it  not,  how- 
ever, in  the  secret  conventicles  which  they  organized,  or 
in  the  sacrifice  of  the  literal  sense  of  the  Scripture 
to  a  hidden  meaning  and  the  exaltation  of  the  inward 
spiritual  light  above  the  revealed  Word  as  a  guide  to  the 
soul. 

They  who  cast  only  a  superficial  glance  at  this  history 
may  hastily  conclude  that  its  record  once  more  shows 
that  "there  is  nothing  new  under  the  sun."  But  they 
who  look  deeper  down  perceive  that  the  leaven  of  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  never  ceases  working.     In  the  sad- 


192    REFORMED   CHURCH  IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

dest  days  of  which  we  are  writing  the  Church  did  not  hide 
her  light.  In  1 622  Geneva  sent  Turretin  to  collect  money 
to  aid  in  its  defence  against  the  Duke  of  Savoy.  He  re- 
ceived twenty  thousand  florins.  In  1638  copies  of  the 
New  Testament,  printed  in  Geneva  at  the  cost  of  the 
States  of  the  Netherlands,  were  sent  to  the  Greek  Church. 
In  1643,  the  ministers  of  Zeeland  sent  letters  to  the  Scotch 
churches,  exhorting  them  to  steadfastness  as  against  the 
encroachments  of  the  State  Church.  The  Protestants 
of  other  lands  were  aided  with  large  contributions. 
Churches  were  also  planted  in  the  East  and  the  West 
Indies  and  in  North  America. 

This  Third  Period  of  the  history  of  the  Reformed 
Church  in  the  Netherlands,  presents  for  our  consid- 
eration the  following  themes:  The  new  philosophy  of 
doubts  (Descartes,  1596-1650);  Erratic  hermeneutics 
(Cocceius,  1603-1669);  Conservative  scholasticism  (Voet, 
1588-1676);  Bible  interpretation;  Church-factions; 
Separatist  mysticism  (De  Labadie,  1610-1674);  Pan- 
theistic fatalism  (De  Spinoza,  1632-1677);  The  denial 
of  the  influence  of  spirit  on  matter  (Bekker,  1634-1698); 
Rationalism  applied  to  Christology  (Roell,  1653-1718); 
The  state  of  the  Church  at  the  beginning  of  the  eight- 
eenth century. 


PERIOD   OF   DANGER.  193 


II. 

THE   NEW   PHILOSOPHY   OF    DOUBT. 

Ecclesiasticism  and  philosophy  for  many  ages  have 
striven  for  dominion  over  the  inner  life  of  man.  By  the 
Information  a  check  was  put  upon  the  former,  and  the 
latter  was  recognized  as  of  value  for  the  Church  only 
when  legitimately  employed  to  aid  in  setting  forth  the 
truth  of  Scripture  in  the  form  of  logically  constructed 
s}7stems  of  doctrine. 

This  view  of  its  use  was  held  by  the  Church-fathers 
who  kept  within  proper  bounds  in  following  Aristotle 
as  their  guide,  but  it  was  ignored  by  the  schoolmen  to 
whom  the  immortal  Greek  furnished  the  means  of  the 
formation  of  obscure  expressions  and  hair-splitting  de- 
finitions. It  was  lost  out  of  sight  before  a  century  had 
passed  after  the  Eeformed  in  the  Netherlands  became 
consolidated  into  a  church.  Hence,  those  who  probably 
were  honest  in  their  fears  lest  the  Church  should  be- 
come oppressed  by  an  ecclesiasticism  which  concealed 
its  domineering  spirit  under  mysterious  terms  and  in- 
volved expressions,  were  ready  to  welcome  a  new  philo- 
sophy which  appeared  to  contain  in  itself  a  protection 
against  the  apprehended  evil.  A  multitude  were  dis- 
posed to  hail  the  teacher  who,  they  thought,  would 
show  them  how  to  proceed  in  the  acquisition  of  knowl- 
edge concerning  God,  matter,  spirit,  and  the  essential 
nature  of  things.  Not  required  to  submit  to  a  dic- 
tatorial authority,  they  would  be  permitted  by  him  to 
17 


194    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

go  on  independently,  slowly,  and  circumspectly,  from 
the  first  dictates  of  nature  and  reason  to  things  more 
complex  and  difficult. 

Little,  however,  did  those  who  gave  this  philosophy 
so  warm  a  welcome,  suspect  the  bad  influence  which  it 
would  exert  on  the  theologians  of  the  Reformed  Church, 
and  on  the  Church  itself,  by  placing .  obstacles  in  the 
way  of  the  investigation  of  the  truth  of  Scripture,  and 
by  inducing  many  to  adopt  opinions  inconsistent  with 
revelation.  The  utterances  of  the  Bible  on  topics  ele- 
vated beyond  the  capacities  of  reason  are  clearer,  more 
reliable,  and  more  authoritative  than  the  conclusions  of 
reason  alone  could  possibly  be. 

In  1629  there  appeared  in  the  Netherlands  a  French 
nobleman,  Rene  Descartes,  who  was  born  at  Lahaye,  in 
Touraine,  in  1596.  He  was  therefore  in  the  prime  of 
life  when  he  came  to  the  Low  Countries.  He  had  been 
there  previously ;  for,  during  the  four  years  between 
1617  and  1621,  he  had  served  in  the  army  of  the  States 
under  Prince  Maurice.  He  was  educated  as  a  Jesuit  in 
one  of  the  schools  of  that  Order  at  La  Fleche,  in  Anjou. 
As  late  as  1624  he  exhibited  the  influence  of  his  train- 
ing by  making  a  pilgrimage  to  Loretto  in  fulfilment  of 
a  vow.  This  vow,  however,  had  reference  to  the  solu- 
tion of  the  doubts  which  had  assailed  him.  To  their 
clearing  up  in  his  own  mind  the  Cartesian  philosophy 
owes  its  origin. 

The  principle  of  his  system,  which  was  intended  as  a 
reformation  of  that  of  Aristotle,  was  that  everything 
must  be  doubted  except  the  fact  of  one's  personal  being. 
The  state  of  mind  out  of  which  Descartes  evolved  his 
philosophy  was  this:  he  doubted  all  that  he  had  formerly 
regarded  as  truth — the  existence  of  Cod,  the  existence 
of  the  world  of  matter,  the  existence  of  himself.     But 


PERIOD   OF  DANGER.  195 

out  of  this  shipwreck  he  saved  the  conviction  that  in 
these  very  doubts,  these  very  search  in  gs,  he  had  the 
warrant  of  his  own  existence.  Upon  this  conviction  he 
reared  a  new  system  explanatory  of  the  being  of  God 
and  the  being  of  man.  He  taught  that  one  must  doubt 
the  existence  of  God  and  his  perfections,  the  advantage 
to  man  of  praising  him  or  performing  religious  duties, 
and  the  genuineness  of  faith.  Along  the  path  of  doubts 
one  must  come  to  clear  views  on  these  matters. 

According  to  Ueberweg,  Descartes  laid  down  four 
methods.  First,  receive  nothing  as  true  which  is  not 
evidently  known  to  be  such  with  a  clearness  which  ex- 
cludes all  doubt.  Secondly,  divide,  as  far  as  possible, 
every  difficult  problem  into  its  natural  parts.  Thirdly, 
conduct  your  thoughts  in  due  order,  advancing  gradu- 
ally, from  the  most  simple  and  easy,  to  the  more  complex 
and  difficult.  Fourthly,  by  the  completeness  of  your 
enumerations  and  reviews  make  it  sure  that  nothing  has 
been  overlooked. 

This  independence  of  thought  and  investigation,  as 
applied  to  the  interpretation  of  Scripture,  though  op- 
posed to  the  ecclesiastical  tradition  that  had  been  framed 
upon  the  Aristotelian  method,  had  a  great  charm  for 
many.  At  the  funeral  of  Kenerus,  at  Utrecht,  on 
March  18,  1639,  Amilianus,  who  delivered  the  oration, 
called  Descartes  the  Archimedes  of  his  age.  But  many 
denounced  the  Cartesian  method  in  severe  terms.  Those 
who  adopted  it  were  suspected  of  atheism — because  they 
mistrusted  the  authority  of  Holy  Scripture ;  rejected 
the  principles  of  logic  and  metaphysics  which  had  been 
tested  and  generally  received  throughout  the  Christian 
world;  esteemed  the  Mosaic  account  of  the  natural  world, 
communicated  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  so  little  that  they 
held  their  own  conceptions  superior  to  it ;  and  detracted 


196    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

from  the  divine  authority  of  the  Bible  by  secretly  charg- 
ing the  Holy  Ghost  with  a  want  of  success  in  the  con- 
struction of  syllogisms. 

But  Descartes  was  not  a  rejecter  of  the  Scriptures.  A 
physicist  as  well  as  a  mathematician  and  philosopher,  he 
sought  to  point  out  the  disagreement  between  some  of 
the  representations  of  the  inspired  writers  concerning 
nature,  and  the  actual  facts.  He  did  not  ascribe  such 
misrepresentations,  as  he  regarded  them,  to  ignorance,  or 
to  a  purpose  to  deceive,  but  to  a  disposition  to  accom- 
modate one's  self  to  prevailing  though  erroneous  opinions. 

The  debates  to  which  the  introduction  of  the  Cartesian 
philosophy  gave  rise,  were  not  confined  to  the  schools. 
Their  spirit  at  least  affected  the  people  also.  Those 
who  favored  that  philosophy  spoke  of  the  conservatives 
as  indolent  people,  as  uncultured  and  useless  servants. 
Those  who  condemned  it  said  that  a  good  Cartesian  is 
but  a  poor  subject  of  the  Prince.  They  designated  the 
followers  of  the  French  philosopher  as  light-minded 
iconoclasts,  seekers  after  new  things  and  deniers  of  God. 
They  ridiculed  the  idea  that  a  true  progress  in  knowl- 
edge was  indicated  by  the  glib  use  of  such  high-sound- 
ing terms  as  forma  substantialis,  occulta  qualitas,  and 
sympathia. 

The  Government  and  the  Church  both  attempted  to 
check  the  spread  of  the  opinions  of  Descartes.  The 
Synod  which  met  at  Dordrecht  in  1656,  issued  a  pro- 
hibition against  the  adoption  of  them  by  the  theologians. 
At  a  Frisian  classis  which  met  at  Leeu warden  in  1G68, 
an  effort  was  made  to  vote  a  protest  against  the  Cartesian 
philosophy  as  connected  with  theology.  It  failed,  how- 
ever, through  the  interference  of  Bekker,  one  of  the 
members  who  had  adopted  Cartesian  views.  In  a  dis- 
course in  which  he  indirectly  defended  them,  he  said 


PERIOD    OF   DANGER.  197 

that  many  condemned  this  philosophy  because  they  did 
not  know  what  it  was,  having  never  had  either  the 
opportunity  or  the  inclination  to  examine  it  carefully. 
Kegius,  the  representative  of  Cartesianism  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Utrecht,  was  sharply  attacked  by  Prof.  Yoet 
who  obtained  from  the  government  the  decree  that  the 
new  philosophy  should  be  rejected.  The  reasons  given 
were  that  it  is  in  conflict  with  the  old,  that  it  corrupts 
the  young  men,  and  that  it  prepares  them  to  adopt 
notions  absurd  and  antagonistic  to  the  accepted  theology. 
Among  the  high-born  in  other  lands  who  were  the 
pupils  of  the  celebrated  author  of  "  Meditat tones  de 
prima  philosophia"  " Principia  philosophies,"  and 
"  Passiones  Animce"  were  a  daughter  of  Frederic, 
King  of  Bohemia,  and  a  daughter  of  Gustavus  Adolphns, 
King  of  Sweden.  Descartes  was  a  resident  in  the  Neth- 
erlands for  twenty  years.  In  1649  he  accepted  an  in- 
vitation from  the  Queen  of  Sweden  to  come  to  that 
kingdom.  After  a  short  stay  he  died  at  Stockholm,  on 
February  11,  1650.  His  method,  which  was  intended 
to  displace  that  of  Aristotle,  was  itself  crowded  out  by 
those  of  Leibnitz,  Wolff,  and  Newton. 


198    REFORMED    CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 


III. 

ERRATIC   HERMENEUTICS. 

In  the  same  year  (1629)  that  the  French  philosopher 
Descartes  came  into  the  Netherlands  from  the  South- 
west, a  student  of  the  original  languages  of  thu  Scrip- 
ture, the  junior  of  the  former  by  seven  years,  entered 
from  the  opposite  direction.  He  was  making  a  brief 
visit  to  the  University  of  Franeker.  Johannes  Coc- 
ceius  was  born  in  Bremen  in  1603.  In  early  youth  he 
diligently  applied  himself  to  the  study  of  ancient  litera- 
ture. In  Hebrew  he  received  instruction  from  a  Eabbi 
in  Hamburg,  and  in  Greek  from  a  native  of  Greece, 
named  Metrophanes  Critopulus.  His  aim  was  to  reach 
such  a  degree  of  proficiency  in  the  former  tongue  that 
he  might  read  the  prophecy  of  Isaiah  without  any  help. 
In  the  latter  he  became  so  well  versed  that  he  was  able 
to  conduct  a  correspondence  with  his  teacher.  His 
linguistic  attainments  secured  for  him  the  position  of 
professor  of  Oriental  languages  at  the  high-school  of  his 
native  city  when  he  was  only  twenty-seven  years  of  age, 
and,  six  years  later,  a  call  to  Franeker,  to  fill  the  chair 
in  the  same  department  in  the  Frisian  University. 

It  was  in  1636  that  Cocceius  began  to  reside  perma- 
nently in  the  Netherlands.  After  a  residence  of  four- 
teen years  in  Franeker,  he  was  appointed  to  the  chair 
of  theology  in  Leyden.  In  that  city  he  remained  until 
1669,  when  he  died  in  the  sixty-seventh  year  of  his  age. 
His  life  was  not  an  eventful  one.     The  life  of  a  close 


PERIOD   OF  DANGER.  199 

student  has  in  it  but  little  of  the  variety  of  incident  that 
characterizes  the  course  through  the  world  of  those  who 
have  a  prominent  part  in  its  most  stirring  scenes.  Still, 
Cocceius  not  only  had  a  large  share  in  creating,  but  also 
in  managing,  the  excitement  of  the  day  in  reference  to 
matters  of  Biblical  interpretation  and  theology,  in 
which  the  community  of  that  time  had  a  general  inter- 
est as  compared  with  that  felt  by  the  people  of  the 
present  age. 

At  the  very  beginning  of  his  course  at  Franekerhe  set 
forth  what  he  deemed  to  be  the  proper  method  of  ascer- 
taining the  meaning  of  the  Scripture.  The  theological 
views,  speculative  and  practical,  to  which  these  led,  he 
elaborated  as  he  subsequently  entered  the  larger  sphere 
of  his  labors  in  Leyden.  In  the  latter  city  his  lectures 
were  at  first  not  largely  attended,  because  his  utterances 
seemed  to  be  obscure  and  vague;  but  it  was  not  long 
before  the  novelty  and  the  ingenuity  of  his  explanations 
proved  so  attractive  that  the  room  at  the  University 
could  not  hold  the  students,  and  his  lectures  were  de- 
livered afterwards  in  the  edifice  of  the  English  congre- 
gation— the  largest  in  the  city. 

Cocceius  disapproved  of  the  blending  of  Cartesian 
philosophy  with  theology;  nevertheless  he  was  like  Des- 
cartes in  his  independence.  He  was  as  anxious  as  his 
contemporary  to  get  rid  of  the  Aristotelian  influence. 
While  he  endeavored,  however,  to  avoid  the  danger  aris- 
ing from  the  adoption  of  the  Cartesian  system,  objec- 
tions, on  the  ground  of  its  dangerousness,  were  raised 
against  the  mode  of  explaining  Scripture  which  he  ad- 
vocated, by  those  who  adhered  to  the  Aristotelian  meth- 
ods and  to  scholastic  theology.  A  path  was  to  be  traced, 
they  thought,  between  the  Cartesian  Scylla  and  the  Coc- 
ceian  Charybdis. 


200    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

Cocceius  declared  that  he  could  not  bear  that  Scrip- 
ture should  be  torn  out  of  its  proper  connection  and 
wrested  to  support  controverted  points.  The  custom- 
ary ecclesiastical  phraseology  or  mode  of  expression  he 
regarded  as  having  a  merely  human  origin.  He  would 
substitute  for  it  such  as  was  derived  directly  from  the 
Scripture.  He  supported  an  exact  grammatico-histori- 
cal  interpretation,  in  opposition  to  what  he  considered 
a  growing  tendency  to  place  dogmas  above  the  Bible 
from  which  they  were  claimed  to  have  been  gathered. 
He  aimed  at  the  fundamental  truths  as  these  were  pro- 
fessed by  the  Reformed  Church :  but  these  divested  of 
all  the  covering  that  had  been  borrowed  from  the 
schools.  He  held  that  these  truths  were  to  be  found  in 
their  purity  in  the  Bible,  and  were  to  be  brought  out 
thence.  He  did  not  wish  his  followers  to  go  from  one 
master  to  another.  He  would  have  them  prove  all 
things  for  themselves,  holding  that  which  is  good. 
These  principles  command  assent  when  they  are  pro- 
perly limited  in  their  application.  But  when  he  who 
was  guided  by  them,  as  his  friends  declared,  did  not 
hesitate  to  avow  that  the  Scriptures  signify  what  they 
may  be  shown  to  signify  from  the  argument  and  the 
harmony  between  their  several  parts,  he  gave  to  every 
one  who  was  ingenious  enough  to  point  out  that  his  con- 
ception of  them  was  not  in  conflict  with  them  as  cor- 
rectly understood,  the  liberty  of  putting  into  the  Bible 
anything  he  wished  to  see  there. 

Christianity  was  viewed  by  Cocceius  under  the  image 
of  a  covenant  between  God  and  man,  which  he  said  was 
twofold:  one  made  before  the  fall — the  covenant  of 
works;  the  other  after  that  event — the  covenant  of 
grace.  The  latter  exists  under  three  economies.  The 
first  and  the  second  are  divided  from  each  other  by  the 


PERIOD   OF  DANGER.  201 

giving  of  the  law  from  Sinai.  The  third  is  that  of  the 
Gospel.  It  is  set  forth  in  two  Testaments.  The  Old 
Testament  is  wholly  prefigurative. 

The  temporal  possessions  of  the  Israelites  were  only 
symbols  of  that  which  would  be  bestowed  on  believers 
under  the  New  Testament  economy.  The  pious  under 
the  old  covenant  which  was  made  with  Adam  after  the 
fall,  and  renewed  with  Moses,  as  they  died,  were  in  ad- 
vance favored  with  the  good  things  the  bestowal  of 
which  is  possible  only  under  the  new  Covenant  which  is 
entered  into  through  Christ.  While  they  remained  in 
this  life,  they  were  the  servants  of  God  who  were  ani- 
mated only  by  a  slavish  fear  of  Him.  The  pardon  of  sin 
granted  to  them  was  imperfect.  Their  justification  was 
essentially  different  from  that  of  Christians;  since  a  full 
forgiveness  was  impossible  until  Christ  should  come. 
The  pressure  upon  them  of  the  ceremonial  law  was  an 
evidence  of  this.  It  was  added  by  way  of  punishment, 
and  Avas  a  constant  reminder  of  the  wrath  of  God.  So 
long  as  the  ceremonial  law  continued  in  force,  the  for- 
giveness of  his  sins  meant,  for  a  pious  man,  simply  that 
punishment  was  withheld.  Hence  Old  Testament 
saints  could  not  have  such  comforting  assurances  as 
are  enjoyed  by  believers  after  the  advent  of  Jesus. 

Cocceius  taught  that  the  Sabbath,  having  been  institut- 
ed in  the  desert,  and  not  in  Eden,  was  a  shadow,  and  is 
abolished  under  the  New  Testament.  The  Jewish  Sab- 
bath was  a  type  of  the  spiritual  rest  promised  to  the  fol- 
lowers of  Christ.  The  hallowing  of  the  seventh  day 
was  binding  upon  the  Hebrews.  It  by  no  means  lays 
any  restriction  upon  the  Christian  believer.  In  this  view 
Cocceius  was  sustained  by  Prof.  Heidanus  who,  in  dis- 
cussing in  1658,  in  Leyden,  the  theme,  "  the  Sabbath 
and  Sunday, "  declared  that  Christians  keep  this  day  of 


202    REFORMED    CHURCH   IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

rest,  not  because  it  had  come  in  the  place  of  the  Jewish 
Sabbath,  but  because  they  followed  in  the  train  of  an 
ancient  ecclesiastical  usage. 

The  history  of  the  Christian  Church  Cocceius  saw  re- 
flected, as  in  a  mirror,  in  the  history  of  the  Israelites. 
He  divided  it  into  as  many  periods  as  the  New  Testa- 
ment pointed  at  in  the  number  of  the  seals,  the  vials, 
and  the  trumpets  mentioned  in  the  book  of  Eevelation, 
and  in  the  number  of  the  parables  of  our  Lord  recorded 
in  the  Gospel  of  St.  Matthew. 

Strong  protests  soon  appeared  against  the  views  of 
Cocceius  which  were  most  at  variance  with  the  teach- 
ings of  the  Reformed  Church.  He  had  advanced  his 
objectionable  opinions  on  the  Sabbath  in  1655,  in  con- 
nection with  his  explanation  of  the  Epistle  to  the  He- 
brews. He  was  answered  in  1658  by  Prof.  Essenius, 
of  the  University  of  Utrecht,  in  a  work  on  "The  con- 
tinuous moral  obligation  of  the  decalogue,  and  there- 
fore also  of  the  Sabbath;"  and  in  1659  by  Prof.  Hooru- 
beek,  in  a  volume  on  "Hallowing  God's  name  and  day." 
In  1661  Prof.  Maresius  combated  the  Cocceian  tenet 
concerning  the  three  economies;  and  in  1665  Prof.  Voet 
entered  into  a  controversy  with  the  Leyden  theologian 
upon  the  subject  of  his  singular  views  concerning  the 
forgiveness  of  sin,  as  withheld  from  the  Old  Testament 
saints,  and  bestowed  on  those  who  live  under  the  dispen- 
sation of  the  Gospel.  • 

By  the  debates  that  resulted,  and  the  following  that 
Cocceius  drew  after  him,  especially  on  the  ground  of  his 
theory  of  interpreting  Scripture,  the  peace  of  the 
Church  was  seriously  disturbed.  The  government  did 
not  take  a  very  decided  stand  in  the  matter.  The 
States  of  Holland,  having  been  informed  by  their  dele- 
gate at  the  Synod  of  South  Holland,  on  Nov.  25,  1658, 


PERIOD    OF  DANGER.  203 

that  the  dispute  concerning  the  Sabbath  had  been 
brought  before  that  body,  commanded  that  the  affair 
should  not  be  taken  up  for  consideration.  They  de- 
clared, moreover,  that  the  Church  would  abide  by  the 
deliverances  of  the  Synod  of  Dort  in  regard  to  this  Arti- 
cle, and  ordered  the  Curators  of  the  University  that 
they  should  see  to  it  that  the  professors  issued  no  more 
pamphlets  upon  that  topic.  In  this  way  they  attempted, 
though  in  vain,  to  quench  the  flames  of  fierce  conten- 
tion. Cocceius  himself  was  removed  from  the  scene  of 
conflict  by  his  death,  which  occurred  on  Xov.  4,  1669. 
A  marble  bust  of  the  linguist  and  theologian  was  erected 
in  St.  Peter's  Church  in  Leyden,  though  much  against 
the  wishes  of  his  opponents. 


204    REFORMED   CHURCH  IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 


IV. 

CONSERVATIVE   SCHOLASTICISM. 

The  form  in  which  theological  instruction  was  fre- 
quently offered  at  the  time  Descartes  and  Cocceius  came 
to  the  Netherlands  was  moulded  after  that  in  which 
such  men  as  Peter  Lombard  (the  Master  of  the  Sen- 
tences), Thomas  Aquinas,  who  commented  upon  Lom- 
bard's work,  and  Duns  Scotus,  who  lectured  upon  the 
"sentences"  to  thousands  of  delighted  Oxford  stu- 
dents, gave  to  the  world  their  soaring  dialectics.  The 
abstruseness  of  the  topics  chosen  for  speculation;  the 
keen  logic  required  for  the  conduct  of  the  arguments  in- 
volved; and  the  fathomless  depths,  or  dizzy  heights,  to 
which  a  conclusion  was  pursued,  had  their  charms  for 
men  of  superior  intellect. 

Nevertheless,  results  were  sometimes  set  forth  in  ex- 
pressions so  stilted  and  vague  that,  whatever  meaning 
they  had  in  the  mind  of  the  author,  they  had  next  to 
none  for  those  whom  he  attempted  to  enlighten.  Thus 
the  simplicity  of  the  apostolic  method  of  presenting 
divine  truth  was  ignored,  and  the  common  people  were 
starving  while  spiritual  food  was  withheld  from  them. 
Many  allowed  their  public  instructions  to  be  influenced 
too  much  by  their  love  of  obscure  dialectics,  and  thus 
prepared  the  way  for  a  reaction  in  the  shape  of  a  sepa- 
ratist mysticism.  But  there  were  some  who  in  the 
lecture-room  or  pulpit  endeavored  to  observe  that 
golden  mean  between  an  abstruse  philosophy  and  a  too 


PERIOD   OF  DANGER.  205 

scholastic  theology,  which  was  possible  only  when  the 
practical  was  not  wholly  sacrificed  to  the  speculative  and 
the  traditional.  Among  these  was  the  great  life-long 
antagonist  of  both  Descartes  and  Cocceius,  and  the 
leader  of  the  party  which,  for  nearly  a  century,  was 
opposed  to  the  adherents  of  an  independent  exegesis. 

Gysbert  Voet  was  born  at  Heusden  in  1588.  In  that 
city  he  became  a  student  of  the  rector  Odulphus.  His 
educational  course  was  completed  at  the  University  of 
Leyden.  He  was  remarkable  for  the  closeness  of  his 
application  to  his  studies  and  for  the  tenacity  of  his 
memory.  He  was  an  omnivorous  reader,  devouring 
ancient  and  mediaeval  literature  alike.  It  was  said 
that  not  a  book  came  within  his  reach  with  the  con- 
tents of  which  he  did  not  make  himself  familiar.  In 
his  thirty-first  year  he  was  sent  to  the  great  Synod 
of  Dort  as  a  delegate  from  South  Holland.  A  strong 
supporter  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  respect  to  every- 
thing that  distinguished  it  from  Romanists  and  from 
the  other  branches  of  Protestantism,  he  doubtless  made 
his  influence  felt  in  that  assembly. 

In  1634  he  accepted  the  appointment  of  professor  of 
theology  in  the  newly  formed  University  of  Utrecht. 
The  subject  which  he  chose  for  his  address  at  his  in- 
auguration was  "  the  close  relation  between  knowledge 
and  salvation."  The  form  of  theology  which  he  pre- 
sented in  the  lecture-room  was  that  of  Calvin  and  Beza 
as  reflected  in  the  Catechism  and  Confession.  This 
form,  he  was  firmly  convinced,  was  prescribed  by  the 
Scriptures.  His  explanations  of  the  Bible,  however, 
were  drawn  from  the  writings  of  the  schoolmen.  Al- 
though strongly  inclined  to  the  scholastic  method  of 
presenting  the  truth,  because  he  deemed  it  a  protection 
against  the  vagaries  of  Cartesianism  and  Cocceianism, 
18 


206     REFORMED    CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

lie  did  not  neglect  the  teachings  of  practical  religion, 
which  he  combined  with  his  dogmatics.  This  is  illus- 
trated by  his  volume  "  Selectee  disputationes  theological," 
published  in  1648. 

He  exhorted  his  students  to  cultivate  piety,  and  com- 
posed for  their  benefit  a  volume  entitled  "  Exercitia 
pietatis  in  usum  juventutis  academics."  In  this 
book  he  showed  that  theology  is  not  a  mere  speculative 
science,  but  is  thoroughly  practical.  He  would  not 
allow  the  translation -of  this  book  into  the  Dutch  lan- 
guage, on  the  ground  that  its  contents  were  beyond  the 
comprehension  of  the  unlettered. 

In  1637  Voet  became  a  minister  of  the  congregation 
at  Utrecht.  Under  his  ministry  it  became  greatly  ex- 
tended, so  that  the  Consistory  were  obliged,  after  two 
years,  to  call  the  seventh  collegiate  pastor.  His  success 
is  said  to  have  been  owing  mainly  to  his  zeal  in  catechiz- 
ing the  children  of  his  flock.  The  battle  against  the 
Cartesian  system  as  applied  to  theology,  was  begun  by 
him  in  1639,  and  constantly  maintained.  In  1656  he 
secured  the  passage,  by  the  States  of  Holland,  of  a  reso- 
lution by  which  the  blending  of  the  study  of  the  Carte- 
sian philosophy  with  that  of  theology  was  forbidden,  for 
the  sake  of  the  peace  and  quiet  of  the  Church,  under 
the  penalty  of  suspension  and  deposition. 

Grieved  at  the  lack  of  spirituality  in  the  Church,  and 
disposed  to  sympathize  with  every  movement  that  held 
out  the  promise  of  effecting  its  increase,  Voet  gave  at 
first  a  warm  welcome  to  Labadie.  From  the  same  de- 
sire to  raise  the  Church  from  its  sad  condition,  Voet 
supported,  against  the  magistrates  of  the  cities,  the 
private  conventicles  of  those  who  were  far  from  satis- 
fied with  the  ministry  which  they  received  in  the 
churches.      Such  devotional  exercises  were  under   the 


PERIOD    OF   DANGER.  207 

guidance  of  a  preacher  named  Koelman,  who  traveled 
from  place  to  place.  He  was  assisted  by  another  min- 
ister named  Herder,  who  went  so  far  as  to  baptize  at 
these  private  meetings  the  children  of  parents  who  had 
separated  from  the  Reformed  Church.  These  conven- 
ticles, which  contained  in  themselves  the  germs  of 
schisms,  commenced  in  Holland  and  spread  thence  to 
Zeeland,  Gelderland,  and  Friesland. 

Yoet  died,  an  old  man  of  88,  in  1676.  His  life  was  a 
very  busy  one.  Not  only  was  he  faithful  in  setting 
forth  the  doctrinal  truths  of  the  standards  of  the 
Church,  but  he  was  constantly  engaged  in  polemics 
against  Romanists  and  Remonstrants,  Arians  and 
Socinians,  schismatics  and  freethinkers.  His  lance  was 
tilted  even  against  Baptists  and  Lutherans.  He  was  a 
devout  man.  His  favorite  volume,  next  to  the  Bible, 
was  "The  Imitation  of  Christ,"  by  Thomas  a  Kempis. 
Frequently  he  could  be  heard  exclaiming,  "  How  I  long 
after  thee,  my  Jesus!  When  wilt  Thou  come?  When 
wilt  Thou  satisfy  me  with  Thvself  and  fill  my  soul  with 
joy?" 


208    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 


V. 

BIBLE-INTERPRETATION. 

At  the  close  of  the  seventeenth  century  there  were 
two  schools  of  exegesis,  led  respectively  by  the  leaders  of 
independent  herrneneutics  and  a  conservative  theology. 
The  method  of  interpretation  peculiar  to  each  of  these 
schools  was  set  forth  in  the  Universities  according  as 
the  professors  were  the  disciples  of  Cocceius  or  of  Voet ; 
but  it  was  also  applied  by  the  pastors  in  the  preparation 
of  their  discourses.  The  sermons  in  which  the  results 
of  these  different  methods  were  gathered  up  contained, 
moreover,  slightly  concealed  or  plainly  expressed 
charges  against,  or  ridicule  of,  the  party  which  repre- 
sented the  opposite  view.  The  effect  of  this  was  that 
healthy  Biblical  criticism  suffered. 

Investigation  was  denounced  by  some  on  the  ground 
that  the  doctrines  of  the  Church  had  been  established. 
The  translation  of  the  Bible,  which  had  recently  been 
made,  they  held  to  be  sufficient.  There  is  no  need,  said 
they,  of  going  into  a  critical  study  of  the  original 
languages  of  the  Scriptures — certainly  not  for  the  pur- 
pose of  detecting  errors  in  the  rendering,  because  a 
special  Providence  of  God  would  prevent  the  introduction 
of  them.  The  conservative  interpreters  were  deterred 
by  the  fear,  lest  they  should  treat  the  Word  of  God  in 
an  unbecoming  manner,  from  considering  questions  of 
translation  or  exegesis  in  which  it  was  claimed  an  im- 
provement was  possible. 


PERIOD    OF   DANGER.  209 

A  wise  progress  in  these  matters  was  not  to  be 
looked  for  from  those  who  differed  from  the  con- 
servatives, for  they  desired  to  find  in  one  single 
Scriptural  expression  a  multitude  of  hidden  mean- 
ings. Hence,  in  their  search  for  these,  they  treated 
the  Bible  as  though  it  were  a  vast  collection  of  religious 
riddles.  After  the  protracted  disquisitions,  in  which 
the  preacher  made  a  great  show  of  his  ingenuity,  there 
was  but  little  time  left  for  a  practical  application  of 
divine  truth.  When  such  application  was  not  wholly 
omitted,  it  was  exceedingly  dry  and  barren,  and  had 
no  effect  in  producing  the  spiritual  development  of  the 
audience. 

The  Cocceians  aimed  at  an  entirely  cle  novo  inves- 
tigation of  the  Scriptures.  They  thought  their  justifi- 
cation in  this  lay  in  the  fact  that  controverted  doctrines 
were  propped  upon  isolated  texts.  These,  they  said,  taken 
out  of  their  connection,  seemed  to  support  such  doc- 
trines, but,  viewed  in  the  light  shed  upon  them  by  the 
context,  they  might  be  seen  to  convey  a  sense  very 
different  from  that  ordinarily  received.  Further,  they 
held  that  the  meaning  of  Biblical  words  is  compre- 
hensive. They  contain  more  than  one  thought.  A 
skilful  interpreter  can  draw  from  them  a  multitude  of 
ideas. 

The  basis  of  their  exegetical  system,  elaborated  by  its 
founder  in  his  works  on  Ecclesiastes,  Job,  and  the  Minor 
Prophets,  was:  "  Id  significant  verba  quod  significare 
2)0ssunt  in  Integra  oratione,  sic  ut  omnino  inter  se  con- 
venianty  The  Cocceian  pastors  made  a  display  of  their 
learning  in  explaining  their  texts  word  by  word.  As 
they  drew  profound  significations  from  the  depths  of 
the  original,  they  forced  upon  their  weary  hearers  critical 
conjectures  concerning  the  Greek  and  the  Hebrew. 


210     REFORMED    CHURCH   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

But  their  greatest  ingenuity  was  exhibited  in  bringing 
to  light,  from  underneath  the  sense  of  the  Scriptures 
which  was  patent  to  even  their  plainest  readers,  a  hidden 
meaning  which  they  alone  discerned.  For  the  exercise 
of  this  ingenuity  the  largest  scope  was  furnished  by  the 
miracles  and  parables  in  the  New  Testament,  and  by  the 
prophecies  in  the  Old  Testament.  The  aim  of  all  proph- 
ecy, said  they,  is  Christ — who  therefore  must  be  sought, 
and  can  be  found,  everywhere.  The  prophecies,  whose 
fulfilment  cannot  be  recognized  in  Christ  directly,  bear 
for  the  greater  part  on  the  New  Testament  Church, 
founded  by  Christ  in  his  blood,  and  closely  united  to  him 
as  the  body  to  the  head.  The  religion  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, with  its  ceremonial,  is  prophetico-typical ;  or 
rather,  prediction  delineates,  by  striking  images,  either 
Christ  himself,  or  the  benefits  which  he  secured,  or  the 
experiences  of  his  Church,  past  and  future. 

As  specimens  of  this  kind  of  interpretation  the  fol- 
lowing examples  may  suffice.  The  quarrel  between  Sarah 
and  Hagar,  the  separation  between  Isaac  and  Ishmael, 
the  birth  of  Jacob  and  Esau,  the  disagreement  between 
Leah  and  Rachel,  the  sale  of  the  birthright,  are  all  so- 
many  prefign rations  of  the  glorious  mysteries  which 
have  their  disclosures  in  the  Now  Testament.  The 
Song  of  Solomon  is  a  prophetic  history,  in  seven  periods, 
of  Christ's  Church.  Emperors,  Kings,  Electors,  Armi- 
nius,  Vorstius,  the  Synod  of  Dort,  and  the  peace  of 
Minister,  are  plainly  portrayed  in  it.  "When  the  Psalmist 
(Psalm  xliii.  1)  cried,  "  Judge  me,  0  God,  and  plead  my 
cause  against  an  ungodly  nation/'  and  asked  to  be  de- 
livered from  "the  deceitful  and  ungodly  man,"  it  was 
Christ  who  bitterly  complained  of  the  Pope  and  besought 
divine  protection  against  him.  When,  in  Lev.  xx.  24, 
God  said  to  his  people  that  he  would  give  them  a  land 


PERIOD    OF   DANGER.  211 

flowing  with  milk  and  honey  for  a  possession,  he  prom- 
ised those  who  should  live  in  the  times  of  the  Xew 
Testament  dispensation,  that  he  would  put  them  in  a 
state  of  faith  toward  a  Redeemer  who  suffered  for  us  in 
an  earthly  body.  When  our  Lord  healed  a  sick  man  at 
the  pool  of  -Bethesda  (John  v.  1-16),  he  set  forth  in  a 
figure  the  transition,  in  the  course  of  the  covenant  of 
grace,  from  the  Mosaic  unto  the  Christian  period. 

The  school  of  Voet  regarded  all  Biblical  criticism  as 
highly  dangerous.  To  its  disciples  it  seemed  impossible 
that  any  errors  should  have  crept  into  the  Holy  Volume. 
They  wholly  rejected  all  presumed,  concealed,  allegorical, 
prophetical,  or  typical  senses,  and  clung  to  the  literal 
meaning  alone.  Conservatives  in  theology,  they  did  not 
feel  disposed  to  depart  from  that  line  in  respect  to  the 
interpretation  of  Scripture.  Still,  they  were  fond  of 
applying  the  contents  of  the  Bible,  as  far  as  they  could, 
to  the  moral  state  of  man.  In  the  prophecies  they  saw  a 
double  sense — a  bodily  and  a  spiritual.  The  spiritual 
sense,  in  particular,  a  careful  preacher  would  bring  to 
the  attention  of  his  hearers  and  apply  as  closely  as  pos- 
sible. While  condemning  the  attempt  made  by  the 
opposite  school,  to  refer  everything  in  the  Old  Testament 
to  Christ  and  Christendom,  the  Yoetians  admitted  that 
Christ  and  his  apostles  drew  from  it,  and  thus  showed 
that  these  passages  could  be  regarded  as  shadows  of  future 
ecclesiastical  history.  They  denied,  however,  that  our 
Lord  and  his  apostles  thus  indorsed  the  view  that  these 
Old  Testament  texts  were  designed  as  figures  of  what 
was  to  come,  for  the  reason  that  the  Master  merely 
yielded- to  a  weakness  of  the  Jews,  who  were  very  fond 
of  this  species  of  allegorizing. 

An  illustration  of  the  Voetian  method  of  interpre- 
tation is  seen  in  the  explanation  of  Jer.  xiii.  1G,  "Give 


212    REFORMED    CHURCH    IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

glory  to  the  Lord  your  G-od  before  he  cause  darkness 
and  before  you  stumble  upon  the  dark  mountains." 
The  dark  mountains  were  such  as  were  not  illumined  ; 
they  were  mountains  not  fortified ;  insufficient  to  afford 
protection,  they  might  therefore  be  regarded  as  them- 
selves representing  sources  of  danger,  such  as  hostile 
nations,  but,  especially,  great  calamities  and  judgments. 
Although  it  is  admitted  that  the  Voetians  preached 
rather  more  unto  edification  than  the  Cocceians,  still,  as 
to  the  ministry  of  great  numbers  of  both  parties,  it  was 
too  true  that,  while  their  discourses  were  brimful  of 
learning,  the  intellect  of  the  common  people  could  not 
follow  these  orators  in  their  flight,  and  their  hearts  re- 
mained cold  and  unaffected.  The  sermons,  whose  style 
was  obscure  and  artificial,  witnessed  to  a  false  ingenuity, 
and  had  but  little  effect  in  enlightening  the  understand- 
ing of  their  hearers,  or  in  cultivating  their  spirituality. 


PERIOD    OF   DANGER.  213 


VI. 

CHUKCH-FACTIOXS. 

Oxe  of  the  evils  which  stood  in  the  way  of  the  pros- 
perity of  the  Reformed  Church  at  the  close  of  the  seven- 
teenth century  and  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth,  and 
which  threatened  her  very  life,  was  the  internal  strife 
which  was  conducted,  by  those  who  participated  in  it,  in 
a  spirit  of  bitter  liostility.  The  suppression  of  the  fac- 
tions by  which  the  Church  was  distressed,  required,  on 
the  part  of  the  government,  a  management  both  wise 
and  firm.  At  first  there  were  only  two,  named  after 
Voet  and  Cocceius  ;  but  they  increased  in  number  as 
each  main  party  was  divided  up  into  minor  divisions  by 
differences  of  theological  opinions,  political  views,  and 
social  customs. 

As  has  appeared  repeatedly  in  the  course  of  the  history 
of  controversies,  the  followers  of  those  to  whom  these 
parties  owed  their  existence  go  much  farther  than  their 
leaders  in  the  extent  to  which  the  strife  is  conducted, 
and  are  too  much  disposed  to  mingle  rancor  with  zeal 
for  the  triumph  of  the  argument.  The  unification  of 
these  parties,  and  the  restoration  of  peace  to  the  Church, 
seemed  hopeless.  The  civil  Power,  instead  of  constantly 
endeavoring  to  restore  harmon}',  at  times  even  failed  to 
observe  a  proper  neutrality.  Thus  it  often  widened  the 
breach  by  taking  the  side  to  which  its  own  self-interest 
inclined  it. 

When,  in  1665,  Prof.  Maresius,  of  the  University  of 


214    REFORMED    CHURCH   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

Groningen,  attacked  Oocceius  on  the  ground  of  his  lax 
views  concerning  the  Sabbath,  and  Prof.  Voet,  of 
Utrecht,  assailed  him  because  of  his  erroneous  opinions 
in  regard  to  the  forgiveness  of  sins  under  the  old  dispen- 
sation, the  Cocceians  and  the  Voetians  became  two  dis- 
tinct parties.  Nor  was  it  only  a  matter  of  doctrine  upon 
which  the  split  occurred.  In  regard  to  the  relation  be- 
tween the  Church  and  the  State  they  differed.  The 
Voetians  opposed,  and  the  Cocceians  favored,  the  inter- 
ference of  the  civil  power  in  things  pertaining  to  the 
Church  alone.  In  the  opinion  of  the  Voetians,  the  Coc- 
ceians, especially  that  branch  of  them  which  adhered  to 
the  principles  of  interpretation  advocated  by  Descartes, 
were  enemies  of  the  truth  and  the  friends  of  error.  They 
regarded  them  as  corrupters  of  doctrine  once  established, 
and  as  the  pests  of  the  Eeformed  Church.  Their  sys- 
tem of  theology  was  denounced,  for,  in  accordance  with 
the  Cocceian  conception  of  the  nature  of  the  covenant 
of  grace,  they  interpreted  God's  arrangements  for  the 
benefit  of  man  with  reference  to  narrow  and  human  no- 
tions, as  though  they  were  conformed  to  the  principles 
upon  which  national  judicial  codes  are  constructed  and 
civil  contracts  are  made. 

The  Cocceians,  on  the  other  hand,  retorted  upon  the 
Voetians  by  charging  them  with  disfiguring  theology  by 
means  of  their  ingenious  trifling  and  their  silly  scholas- 
tic inquiries.  For  this  charge  there  was  sufficient  ground, 
if  it  is  true,  as  alleged,  that  such  questions  as  the  follow- 
ing were  seriously  propounded  and  debated  :  Was 
Adam's  body  mutilated  by  the  formation  of  Eve,  or  was 
the  loss  of  a  rib  instantly  made  up  to  him  ?  Was  the 
image  of  God  in  man  that  of  the  Trinity,  or  that  of  a 
single  Person  of  the  Trinity  ?  Is  original  sin  an  attri- 
bute, or  is  it  a  positive  substance  ?  Where  is  the  grave 
of  Adam  ? 


PERIOD    OF   DANGER.  215 

The  contentions  between  the  two  main  factions  as- 
sumed a  political  hue.  At  the  death  of  William  II.  in 
1650,  the  disciples  of  Prof.  Voet  expressed  the  desire 
that  William  III.  might  succeed  his  father  in  the  office 
of  Stadtholder.  This  does  not  seem  to  have  suited  the 
States  of  Holland,  whose  cause  was  supported  by  the 
Cocceians,  and  who  therefore  were  disposed  to  cast  the 
weight  of  their  favor  on  the  side  of  that  party.  The 
anger  of  the  Voetians  against  their  opponents  was  in- 
creased, moreover,  in  1663,  when,  by  direction  of  the 
government,  the  prayer  for  the  Prince  of  Orange  was 
omitted  from  the  public  services.  It  led  to  the  applica- 
tion to  the  Cocceians  of  the  name  "  Louvestein  faction," 
in  allusion  to  the  imprisonment,  in  Louvestein  Castle, 
of  Hugo  Grotius,  who,  together  with  Hogerbeets  and 
Oldenbarneveldt,  had  opposed  Prince  Maurice. 

When,  however,  in  1672,  William  ITT.  became  Stadt- 
holder, the  tables  were  turned  and  the  Cocceians  went 
under.  They  called  loudly  for  a  national  synod,  simi- 
lar to  that  of  Dort  in  1618-19,  but  the  demand  was  not 
allowed.  Four  years  later  (1676),  the  Curators  of  the 
University  of  Leyden  forbade,  upon  penalty  of  deposition 
and  exile,  the  presentation  of  twenty  theses  which  were 
attributed  to  the  adherents  of  Descartes  and  Cocceius. 
This  action  was  taken  at  the  instance  of  the  several 
Classes  and  provincial  Synods  which  had  appealed  to  the 
Government.  This  prohibition  was  answered  by  Prof. 
Heidanus  in  his  "Moral  Considerations."  The  threat- 
ened punishment  w,as  inflicted  upon  him. 

In  1683  divisions  occurred  in  the  ranks  of  the  two 
principal  parties,  by  which  they  were  broken  up  into  the 
minor  associations  which  received  distinctive  appella- 
tions according  to  the  peculiar  features  that  character- 
ized each  of  them.     The  Cocceians  were  split  into  the 


216     REFORMED    CHURCH   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

Cocceians  of  Leyden  and  the  "earnest"  Cocceians.  The 
latter  applied  the  Cocceian  method  of  Scripture  interpre- 
tation unto  greater  edification.  These  two  branches 
were  also  designated  as  the  "genuine "or  "  Green"  Coc- 
ceians (so  called  after  their  leader,  Prof.  Groenewegen — 
green  ways)  and  the  "serious"  Cocceians  (who  followed 
Van  Griffen).  The  Voetians  were  divided  into  the  "  old" 
or  "dead"  Voetians,  and  the  "new"  or  "living;"  also 
into  the  "  Marckian,"  after  Johannes  a  Marck,  the 
author  of  a  celebrated  system  of  theology,  and  the 
"Brakelian,"  after  W.  Brakel,  the  writer  of  the  "Rea- 
sonable Religion." 

When  William  III.  died  in  1702,  and  the  second  in- 
terregnum began,  the  Cocceians  again  gained  the  upper 
hand.  The  spirit  of  contention,  however,  had  already 
some  years  previously  begun  to  abate.  The  twenty-five 
pastors  of  Amsterdam,  who  were  of  the  different  shades 
of  Cocceianism,  or  Voetianism,  had  assembled,  and  by  a 
resolution  in  six  articles,  which  every  one  thereafter 
called  to  the  city  would  be  required  to  sign,  had  voted 
that,  since  there  was  no  essential  differences  between 
them  in  reference  to  theoretical  and  practical  religion, 
they  would  esteem  and  treat  one  another  as  orthodox 
brethren.  The  adoption  of  this  resolution  had  the  hap- 
piest effect  upon  the  churches  in  other  parts  of  Holland. 

In  1G94  William  III.  had  taken  another  step  towards 
the  restoration  of  peace.  He  commanded  the  States  of 
Holland  and  West  Friesland  to  adopt  an  ordinance  look- 
ing toward  the  preservation  of  fraternal  relations  be- 
tween the  professors,  the  ministers,  and  the  members  of 
the  Reformed  Church.  They  passed  such  an  ordinance 
in  seven  articles.  Both  Voetians  and  Cocceians  were 
compelled  to  abide,  in  their  writings,  sermons,  and  cate- 
chetical exercises,  by  the  usual  forms  of  the  Reformed 


PERIOD    OF   DANGER.  217 

Church.  All  that  the  Synod  of  Dort  had  left  undecided 
was  not  to  be  declared  of  such  weight  and  importance 
that  the  salvation  of  the  soul  depended  on  it.  Mode- 
ration was  to  be  exercised  in  the  use  of  strange  expres- 
sions, and  great  care  was  to  be  observed  in  the  applica- 
tion of  the  prophecies.  Only  those  persons  were  to  be 
selected  for  the  preacher's  office  who  were  of  a  gentle 
disposition. 

The  calm  that  followed  this  ordinance  was  not  genu- 
ine. Numerous  pamphlets  were  published.  Among 
them  was  one  from  the  pen  of  Joncourt,  pastor  of  the 
Walloon  church  in  the  Hague.  It  was  entitled  "  En- 
tretiens  sur  les  differentes  metlwdes  cPexpliquer  VEcri- 
ture,  et  de  precher  de  ceux  qu'on  appelle  Cocceians  et 
Voetiens,  dans  les  Provinces  Unis."  Another  was  by 
Batenburg,  entitled  "Ouderling's  protest  en  raced  tegen 
tier  Cocceijanen  leer  en  leveii."  The  true  pacificator  did 
not  appear  until  several  years  later.  In  1783  the  aged 
Mommers,  minister  at  Hemmen,  published  a  work  which 
had  the  greatest  influence  in  bringing  about  the  desired 
end.  Its  title  was  "  Eubulus,  or  G-ood  Counsel,  given 
for  the  purpose  of  reconciling  to  one  another  the  breth- 
ren severally  designated  as  Cocceians  and  Voetians."  By 
means  of  this  volume  an  eighty  years'  strife  in  the 
Church  was  brought  to  a  close. 

It  is  hardly  possible  to  imagine  the  extent  to  which 
these  dissensions  affected  the  pulpit,  and  even  the  cus- 
toms of  social  life.  The  indoctrination  of  the  young  by 
means  of  catechetical  exercises  was  abandoned  to  school- 
teachers, and  in  some  cases  was  confined  to  the  winter 
months.  Party-spirit  colored  the  questions  and  answers. 
As  a  specimen  of  the  replies  which  a  catechumen  was  to 
be  able  to  give  fluently  before  he  was  allowed  to  sit  at 
the  communion-table,  look  at  the  following :  What 
19 


218    REFORMED    CHURCH   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

is  a  person?  Answer.  A  substance,  or  an  object  which 
is  self-existent,  unique  in  life  and  intelligence,  not  com- 
municable to  another,  nor  sustained  by  another,  nor  a 
part  of  another.  What  is  a  divine  person?  Answer.  A 
distinct  subsistence  having  the  entire  Deity  in  itself. 
Are  the  works  of  God  distinct  from  God?  Answer.  Yes, 
as  regards  their  aims  and  effects,  but  not  in  so  far  as 
they  are  in  God. 

At  the  meetings  of  Classes  and  Synods  there  were 
fierce  debates  on  the  party  questions  involved.  Matters 
were  carried  so  far  even  that  letters  of  dismission  were 
refused  on  the  ground  of  difference  of  opinion  on  the 
controverted  points.  This  partisanship  showed  itself 
also  outside  the  Church,  not  only  on  the  part  of  min- 
isters, but  also  on  that  of  the  people.  The  Voetians  wore 
their  hair  short;  the  Cocceians  wore  it  long.  On  this 
topic  sermons  were  preached  and  pamphlets  were  pub- 
lished. For  a  long  time  the  Classes  had  a  lemma  entitled 
"long  hair."  The  Voetians  called  Sunday  "  the  day  of 
rest;"  the  Cocceians  called  it  "the  Lord's  day."  The 
former  kept  the  day  strictly,  refraining  even  from  eat- 
ing warm  dinners;  the  latter  allowed  considerable  free- 
dom, and  taught  that  after  morning  service  the  people 
might  indulge  in  recreation  and  even  do  some  work. 
The  Cocceian  ladies  were  in  the  habit  of  spiting  the 
ladies  of  the  opposite  party  by  seating  themselves  on 
Sunday  at  their  parlor  windows  engaged  in  embroider- 
ing. The  Voetians  dressed  plainly  and  lived  moderate- 
ly; the  Cocceians  dressed  fashionably  and  lived  luxuri- 
ously. The  common  people  followed  the  former ;  the 
aristocracy  the  latter.  Both  parties  showed  too  much 
pride,  obstinacy,  and  uncharitableness.  How  good  it 
was  when  peace  was  restored  and  brethren  once  more 
dwelt  together  in  unity  ! 


PERIOD    OF   DANGER.  219 


VII. 
SEPARATIST   MYSTICISM. 

Contemporary  with  Descartes,  Cocceius  and  Voet, 
was  the  representative  and  leader  of  that  class  in  the 
Netherlands  which  thirsted  for  more  spirituality  in  re- 
ligion. Despairing  of  seeing  it  developed  in  the  Church, 
which  was  torn  asunder  by  party  strife,  and  ignoring 
the  fact  that  the  Divine  Word  is  the  instrument  by 
which  the  Holy  Ghost  works  it  in  the  hearts  of  men, 
they  who  constituted  this  class  sought  to  attain  their 
object  by  separating  from  the  Church.  They  followed 
as  their  guide,  not  the  Bible  alone,  but  a  certain  inward 
spiritual  light.  The  history  of  that  sect,  which  has  a 
point  of  contact  even  in  the  history  of  the  United  States, 
is  a  distinct  feature  of  those  times. 

Jean  De  Labadie  was  born  in  Bourg,  Guienne,  France, 
on  February  13,  1610,  in  the  Eomish  communion.  His 
parents  intended  that  he  should  devote  himself  to  the 
practice  of  law;  but  as  he  showed  even  in  early  youth 
a  great  fondness  for  theology,  he  was  sent  to  a  Jesuit  con- 
vent at  Bordeaux.  Being  of  a  very  devout  disposition, 
he  prayed  much,  and  at  his  devotions  thought  he  had 
visions  of  Christ.  The  works  of  St.  Augustine  and  St. 
Bernard  were  his  chosen  guides.  In  his  twenty-ninth 
year  he  had  a  difference  with  his  brethren  in  regard  to 
the  return  of  what  he  called  "the  golden  age"  of  the 
Church,  and  he  left  them  to  join  the  Jansenists  of  Port 
Royal. 


220    REFORMED    CHURCH   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

Sent  by  the  latter  to  Amiens,  he  there  found  a  few 
congenial  companions  with  whom  he  read  the  Bible  in 
French,  united  in  prayer,  and  celebrated  the  Lord's 
Supper.  The  interdict  laid  upon  these  practices  by 
Cardinal  Mazarin  he  did  not  obey,  and  accordingly,  be- 
ing compelled  to  flee  from  place  to  place,  he  came  to 
Montauban,  where  he  remained  seven  years.  Thence  he 
went  to  Orange,  the  capital  of  the  princedom  Orange- 
Nassau;  and,  after  a  stay  in  that  place  of  two  years,  ac- 
cepted a  call  to  London.  On  his  way  thither  he  passed 
through  Geneva.  Preaching  there  with  such  success  that 
crowds  gathered  to  hear  him,  he  determined  to  abandon 
his  journey  to  England  and  to  settle  in  the  city  of 
Calvin.  Among  his  disciples  there  was  Spanheim,  and 
Spener,  the  author  of  the  "  Pia  Desideria." 

Among  De  Labadie's  hearers  in  Geneva  was  a  brother 
of  the  celebrated  Anna  Maria  Schurman,  of  Utrecht. 
This  lady  was  very  eminent  for  her  learning.  She  was 
skilled  in  the  Hebrew,  the  Greek,  and  the  Latin  languages. 
In  the  last  tongue  she  composed  poems  of  great  merit, 
published  in  her  work,  entitled  "  Opuscnla/'  in  Leyden, 
in  1648.  She  was  also  thoroughly  familiar  with  the 
French,  Italian,  German,  and  English  languages.  In 
theology  and  philosophy  she  was  well  versed,  and  was 
able  to  give  information  to  some  of  the  foremost  men  of 
the  times  who  came  to  her  for  instruction.  Eeceiving 
from  her  brother  the  most  glowing  accounts  concerning 
the  new  preacher  at  Geneva,  Schurman  began  a  corre- 
spondence with  him,  which  was  kept  up  for  five  years, 
until  1G66,  when  De  Labadie  listened  to  overtures  made  to 
him  by  the  Reformed  Church  of  Middelburg  to  become 
its  pastor. 

Schurman  invited  him  to  visit  Utrecht  and  to  be  her 
guest  during  his  stay  in  that  city.     De  Labadie  accepted 


PERIOD   OF   DANGER.  221 

the  invitation,  and  remained  ten  days,  preaching  to  great 
throngs  and  producing  a  favorable  impression  even  upon 
Voet,  the  instructor  of  Schurman  in  the  ancient  langua- 
ges. At  Middelburg  the  following  of  De  Labadie  was 
equally  great.  Multitudes  thronged  the  church,  at- 
tracted by  the  voice  of  the  preacher  who,  exciting  the 
emotions  rather  than  informing  the  intellect,  swayed 
them  at  his  will.  But  here  his  troubles  began.  His 
fellow-ministers  turned  against  him  on  the  ground  that 
he  was  an  innovator.  Doctrinally  they  could  not  al- 
lege anything  against  him,  except  that  he  refused  to  sub- 
scribe to  the  Walloon  Confession,  which  speaks  of  Christ 
having  "  suffered  on  the  altar  of  the  cross,"  which,  said 
he,  is  not  a  Scriptural  expression.  They  also  opposed 
him  because  he  believed  in  the  thousand  years'  reign 
of  Christ. 

When,  in  1668,  De  Labadie  denounced  as  heretical  a 
work  of  Wolzogen,  the  Walloon  preacher  at  Utrecht, 
which  the  Walloon  Synod  of  Naarden  had  declared 
orthodox,  the  opposition  came  to  a  head;  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing year  De  Labadie  was  deposed  by  the  Walloon 
Synod  of  Dordrecht.  Wolzogen  was  understood  by  De 
Labadie  to  teach  that  a  knowledge  of  the  languages  and 
of  archseology  sufficed,  without  a  higher  illumination, 
for  the  interpretation  of  the  Scriptures,  and  that  reason 
is  an  adequate  test  of  their  acceptableness. 

In  this  deposition  the  States  of  Zeeland  and  a  com- 
mittee from  the  States-General  concurred,  but  the 
measure  was  by  many  regarded  as  too  severe.  As  De 
Labadie  continued  to  administer  the  communion,  great 
commotions  ensued,  so  that  he  was  compelled  by  the 
magistrates  of  Middelburg  to  leave  the  city.  He  retired 
to  Yeere,  in  the  neighborhood.  Here  he  formed  an  in- 
dependent French  congregation,  which  would  not  attach 


222    REFORMED    CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

itself  to  any  symbolical  books,  but  only  to  the  Gospel,  and 
assumed  the  name  of  the  Evangelical  Church.  On  Sun- 
days crowds  left  the  gates  of  Middelburg  to  listen  to  the 
minister  of  Veere,  who  was  now  also  possessed  of  the 
prestige  of  martyrdom.  Upon  this,  the  magistrates  of 
the  former  place  commanded  those  of  Veere  to  expel  the 
rebel.  Veere  naturally  resisted,  and  the  two  cities  were 
preparing  for  active  war,  when  De  Labadie,  in  a  Christ- 
like spirit,  bade  his  flock  sheath  their  swords,  and 
announced  his  determination  to  avoid  bloodshed  by 
retiring. 

In  Amsterdam,  whither  many  families  of  Middel- 
burg followed  him,  he  was  at  first  kindly  welcomed  by 
the  magistrates.  Under  the  protection  of  the  civil  gov- 
ernment of  that  city  he  thought  that  he  had  found  a 
haven  of  rest.  And,  indeed,  for  a  time  his  cause  pros- 
pered greatly.  Schurman  had  joined  him  from  Utrecht, 
contrary  to  the  earnest  protestations  of  Prof.  Voet.  She 
was  a  second  Paula,  bound  in  a  platonic  friendship  to 
this  second  Jerome.  She  left  the  Reformed  Church  and 
joined  the  Labadists.  Daily  she  sat  at  the  pastor's  feet, 
as  at  his  house  he  led  the  devotions  of  his  followers.  But 
this  prosperity  of  the  sect  soon  began  to  wane.  A  de- 
cree was  obtained  from  the  magistrates  that  no  new 
members  should  join  it.  Those  who  were  already  con- 
nected with  it  began  to  leave  one  by  one.  They  were 
required  to  practise  too  much  self-denial.  An  upper 
room  now  easily  accommodated  their  numbers.  A 
charge  of  crime  against  De  Labadie,  which,  on  examina- 
tion, was  found  to  be  groundless,  further  brought  the 
sect  into  disrepute. 

When,  therefore,  in  1670,  Elizabeth,  a  princess  of 
the  Palatinate,  a  great  friend  of  Schurman,  invited  the 
Labadists  to  come  to  her  dominions,  they  went  and  set- 


PERIOD    OF   DANGER.  223 

tied  at  Hervord.  Here,  however,  a  scandal  was  raised 
on  account  of  some  loose  practices  said  to  have  occurred 
at  the  observance  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  Compelled  to 
leave  this  place  in  1672,  they  removed  to  Altona,  in  Den- 
mark, where  De  Labadie's  eventful  life  came  to  a  close  on 
February  13,  1674. 

In  their  doctrinal  views  the  Labadists  did  not  essen- 
tially differ  from  the  Eeformed  Church.  They  held, 
however,  some  strange  notions.  They  declared  that 
the  covenant  of  grace  concerned  those  only  who,  on  the 
ground  of  certain  external  evidences  given  by  them,  were 
to  be  accounted  the  pious.  Not  they  who  made  a  pub- 
lic profession  of  their  faith,  but  they  who  were  of  ap- 
proved piety,  constituted  the  Church.  The  only  pur- 
pose which  the  Sacraments  subserve  is  to  strengthen  the 
faith  of  those  who  are  in  the  covenant.  Children  may 
be  baptized,  but  it  is  better  to  defer  their  baptism  until 
they  have  come  to  years  of  discretion  and  can  furnish 
evidences  of  their  faith.  Only  those  who  are  of  approved 
piety  may  partake  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 

The  mysticism  of  the  Labadists  appeared  in  their 
views  of  practical  religion.  Their  tendency  to  asceti- 
cism was  based  upon  certain  inward  communications  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  who  causes  a  Christian  to  see  all  in 
God,  to  enjoy  God,  and  to  become  indifferent  to  the 
events  of  earth  except  in  so  far  as  God  may  be  glorified 
by  them.  They  distinguished  between  the  exoteric, 
sensuous  matters  of  religion  which  are  contained  in  the 
Bible,  and  the  acroamatic,  which  required  a  higher  de- 
gree of  speculative  reflection  and  were  revealed  only  to 
God's  friends.  The  operations  of  the  Holy  SjDirit,  which 
are  not  confined  to  time  or  place,  should  be  sought  every 
moment.  Sunday  is  not  a  holier  day  for  this  purpose 
thanjiny  other  day.     The  reading  of  the  Bible  is  not 


224    REFORMED    CHURCH   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

essential.  It  should  not  indeed  be  neglected,  but  more 
attention  should  be  given  to  the  inward  communications 
of  the  Spirit  of  God  than  to  the  external  letter  of  the 
Word.  Only  those  who  are  favored  with  such  special 
grace  lead  a  hidden  life  with  Christ  and  are  saved.  Only 
a  pious  soul,  fully  assured  of  its  salvation,  is  in  a  state 
of  grace.  God  must  be  loved  for  his  own  sake,  and  all 
self-love  must  be  destroyed.  If  God's  glory  were  to  be 
promoted  by  our  damnation,  we  must  not  only  be  con- 
tent with  it,  but  rejoice  in  it. 

After  the  death  of  De  Labadie,  his  sect  removed  from 
Denmark  back  to  the  Netherlands,  and  settled  in  Wieu- 
werd,  in  Friesland.  Four  years  later,  Anna  Maria 
Schurman,  who  wrote  books  in  its  support,  and  Avho  had 
gained  such  influence  among  its  members  that  they  held 
her  as  a  prophetess,  died  there.  Her  decease  was  a  great 
loss  to  them.  At  first  they  secured  the  good-will  of  the 
ministers  and  the  people  on  account  of  their  modest  and 
pure  lives,  and  received  the  privileges  of  the  Established 
Church.  Many  of  the  Reformed,  who  held  that  the 
Church  had  become  corrupt,  and  that  the  Labadists  ap- 
peared to  furnish  such  examples  of  piety  as  had  graced 
the  Church  in  former  times,  desired  to  join  them. 

The  tide  of  favor,  however,  soon  changed.  Brakel, 
who  had  once  thought  well  of  them,  together  with 
Witsius  and  Vitringa,  now  said  that  he  thanked  God 
that  he  had  come  to  a  better  way  of  thinking. 

Moreover,  the  requirement  that  whoever  joined  them 
should  sell  his  goods  and  turn  the  proceeds  over  into 
the  common  purse,  had  its  effect. 

At  last  the  State  and  the  Church  combined  against 
them.  On  June  1,  1675,  the  Synod  of  Friesland  re- 
solved to  adopt  measures  against  them  as  a  dangerous 
sect.     A  committee  was  appointed  to  request  the  States 


PERIOD   OF   DANGER.  225 

of  Friesland  to  take  this  matter  into  consideration.  By 
the  latter  a  committee  was  appointed  to  join  the  synodi- 
cal  committee,  to  ascertain  from  the  Labadists  themselves 
what  their  peculiar  yiews  were,  and  also,  the  nature  of 
their  objections  against  the  Reformed  Church.  At  a  con- 
ference, conducted  in  Latin,  twelve  questions  were  sub- 
mitted to  them.  From  their  replies  it  appeared  that  they 
did  not  desire  to  make  schism  in  the  Church;  that  they 
only  wished  to  reform  the  Church  within  it;  and  that 
they  desired  improvement  in  Church  government  and 
discipline. 

The  States,  contrary  to  the  designs  of  the  ecclesiasti- 
cal authorities,  wished  to  deal  leniently  with  them. 
As  the  result  of  a  persistent  opposition  to  the  sect,  it 
gradually  diminished  in  numbers,  and  finally  passed  out 
of  existence.  The  Labadists  had  a  mission  in  Surinam. 
For  a  time  they  were  represented  in  the  New  World. 
They  had  two  churches  in  New  York  City,  under  the 
pastoral  care,  respectivel}-,  of  P.  Schluter  and  J. 
Dankers.     These  congregations  did  not  continue  long. 


226    REFORMED    CHURCH   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 


VIII. 

PANTHEISTIC   FATALISM. 

Descartes  had  only  eighteen  years  more  to  live ;  Coc- 
ceius,  as  yet  a  very  young  man,  was  teaching  the  languages 
in  Bremen  ;  and  Voet,  in  his  forty-fourth  year,  was  in  the 
prime  of  his  mental  power,  when,  on  November  24, 
1632,  there  was  born,  in  the  house  of  a  Portuguese  Jew 
of  Amsterdam,  a  child  whose  name  was  destined  to  be- 
come prominent  in  the  domain  of  philosophy.  Baruch — 
Latinized,  Benedict — De  Spinoza  sprang  from  a  family 
whose  immediate  ancestors  had  been  exiled  from  Spain 
on  account  of  their  attachment  to  the  faith  of  Israel, 
and  had  sought  and  found  a  refuge  in  the  ever-hos- 
pitable Netherlands. 

Having  been  designed  by  his  father  for  the  Hebrew 
priesthood,  he  received  the  instructions  of  the  celebrated 
Talmudist  Rabbi,  Saul  Levi  Morteira,  and  became  a 
close  student  of  Maimonides.  Francis  Van  Den  Ende, 
a  learned  physician,  taught  him  the  Latin  language. 
Under  these  teachers  he  made  such  progress  as  to  in- 
sjrire  the  liveliest  expectations  of  future  greatness.  His 
cabalistic  researches  and  Talmudic  studies  failed,  how- 
ever, to  satisfy  his  soul,  and  could  not  solve  for  him  the 
great  questions  which  he  revolved  in  his  thoughtful 
mind.  As  he  discoursed  with  a  couple  of  students  con- 
cerning the  nature  of  God,  the  immortality  of  the  soul, 
and  the  reality  of  angels,  he  would  reply  to  the  ques- 
tions which  they  propounded  to  him :  "  You  have 
Moses  and  the  prophets." 


PEKIOD    OF   DANGER.  227 

Nor,  indeed,  did  Spinoza  reject  the  Bible.  On  the 
contrary,  he  held  it  in  the  greatest  reverence.  But  to 
him  it  was  an  exhibition  of  the  law  of  ethics.  While  it 
was  not  to  be  interpreted  so  as  to  agree  with  human 
reason,  the  latter  was  not  to  be  subordinated  to  the 
teachings  of  the  Bible.  The  same  method  by  which 
nature  must  be  comprehended,  should  be  applied  in  the 
interpretation  of  the  Scripture. 

It  has  been  said  that  Spinoza  embraced  the  Christian 
religion  without  confessing  it.  That  he  felt  drawn 
toward  the  great  Founder  of  the  Christian  religion 
cannot  be  denied;  but  his  conception  of  its  fundamental 
truths  was  not  in  accord  with  the  representation  of 
them  in  the  symbols  of  the  Eeformed  Church.  "  He 
ascribed/'  says  Ueberweg,  "a  pre-eminence  to  Christ 
over  Moses  and  the  prophets ;  for  the  reason  that  Christ 
did  not  receive  the  revelation  of  God  through  the  hear- 
ing of  words  or  through  visions,  but  discovered  it  imme- 
diately present  in  his  own. consciousness.  In  this  sense 
the  divine  wisdom  took  on  human  nature."'  The  divine 
origin,  however,  of  the  Christian  religion,  he  declared, 
could  be  demonstrated  from  the  moral  import  of  the 
teachings  of  Christ  and  his  apostles.  They  were  clear 
and  easy  of  apprehension,  he  said,  and  aimed  to  make 
men  wiser  through  faith,  and  better  through  obedience. 

While  Spinoza  thus  referred  some  to  the  Moses  whom 
his  fathers  held  in  honor,  and  referred  to  the  greater 
than  Moses  those  who  had  been  nurtured  in  the  religion 
of  Jesus — in  both  cases  because  they  could  not  enter  the 
field  of  his  speculations  or  apprehend  the  nature  of  his 
conclusions — he  himself  applied  to  Descartes,  and  had 
recourse  to  his  own  subtle  intellect.  His  work,  pub- 
lished in  1663 — "  B.  Cartesii principiorum  philosopliicB, 
more  geometrico  demonstrated — is  pointed  at  as  showing 


228    REFORMED    CHURCH   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

that  he  had  adopted  the  principles  of  that  philosopher. 
Still  the  two  men  differed  from  each  other  very  materi- 
ally. The  starting-point  of  Descartes  was  doubting 
everything ;  that  of  Spinoza,  regarding  everything  as 
fixed  immovably.  The  former  said,  "everything  might 
have  been  otherwise  than  it  is ;"  the  latter,  "everything 
necessarily  is  as  it  is."  The  two  men  agreed  in  the 
recognition  of  the  two  subsistences — thought  and  exten- 
sion. 

How  Spinoza,  by  intense  reflection,  evolved  from  his 
own  mind  the  system  which  bears  his  name  and  is  set 
forth  in  his  theologico-political  treatises,  published  in 
1670,  is  graphically  described  by  Auerbach.  Spinoza 
pursued  for  a  living  the  manufacture  of  optical  glasses. 
In  this  work  he  reached  a  high  degree  of  skill.  "  From 
early  morning,"  says  our  author,  "  he  sat  working  at  his 
bench.  As  he  snipped  a  piece  from  his  glass  with  his 
sharp  diamond,  he  broke  an  idea  off  from  the  great 
system  that  lay  complete,  though  undeveloped,  in  him- 
self. When  he  worked  the  leaden  plate  and  gave  the 
glass  its  proper  form,  the  idea  in  him  gained  firmer 
shape.  So  on  through  all  the  stages.  Ever  more  dis- 
tinct became  the  form ;  ever  more  transparent  the 
material.  Many  splinters  must  fall,  many  rough  places 
be  smoothed,  till  at  last  the  truth  should  be  reflected  in 
the  mirror.  When  he  had  earned  his  bread  by  the  day's 
handiwork,  in  the  quiet  night,  by  his  single  lamp,  he 
placed  his  finely  polished  ideas  before  him,  collected  the 
dust  which  had  fallen  from  them,  and  strewed  it  thereon, 
so  that  they  became  more  opaque.  Then,  with  a  light 
hand,  wiped  it  off,  and  proved  that  it  did  not  necessarily 
belong  there,  and  that  he  had  but  hidden,  not  extin- 
guished, the  light.  So  worked,  so  philosophized  Bene- 
dict de  Spinoza." 


PERIOD   OF  DANGER.  229 

Spinoza's  principal  teaching  concerning  God's  exist- 
ence is,  that  there  is  one  Supreme  Being,  a  unique 
example  of  true  life,  eternal,  omnipresent,  omniscient, 
almighty,  holy.  This  one  true  God  is  the  source  of  all 
that  exists,  of  that  which  has  been,  is,  or  shall  be,  the 
necessary,  free,  infinite,  eternal  source  of  all,  the  imma- 
nent cause  of  the  universe.  This  last  proposition  is  laid 
down  in  the  following  statements  which  are  taken  from 
his  "  Ethics":  "  Everything  is  in  God;  nothing  is  out- 
side of  God.  Everything  that  exists  is  in  God — the 
only  possible  subsistence.  Nothing  can  be  without  or 
outside  of  him."  "All  things,  those  that  think  and 
those  that  have  extension,  must  be  referred  to  God,  the 
only  possible  subsistence.  God's  attributes,  which  con- 
stitute his  nature,  are  infinite  thought  and  infinite 
extension.  God  is  an  extended,  thinking  Being."  "All 
things,  both  the  material  and  the  intellectual,  neces- 
sarily flow  as  modifications  from  these  two  attributes  of 
God.  The  material  are  modifications  of  the  infinite 
extension ;  the  intellectual,  of  the  infinite  cogitation. 
Everything,  therefore,  pertains  to  the  one,  identical, 
only  possible  substance,  and  is  an  expression  of  God's 
nature. " 

These  propositions  contained  the  germs  of  several 
errors.  Human  personality  and  responsibility  are  lost ; 
for  the  race  is  then  an  aggregate  of  certain  properties  or 
modifications  that  flow  from  the  same  eternal  and  in- 
finite subsistence ;  and  the  evil  as  well  as  the  good  is 
attributable  to  God.  "It  was  his  aim,"  said  Mosheim, 
"to  evince  that  the  whole  universe,  and  God  himself, 
are  precisely  one  and  the  same  thing;  and  that  whatever 
takes  place  arises  out  of  the  eternal  and  immutable  laws 
of  nature,  which  necessarily  existed  and  was  active  from 
all  eternity.  Every  individual  is  himself  God,  and  can- 
20 


230  REFORMED  CHURCH  IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

not  possibly  commit  sin."  His  system,  moreover,  con- 
fined the  Supreme  Being  within  the  mould  of  an  iron 
fatalism.  The  liberty  which  he  ascribed  to  G-od  was 
not  the  liberty  according  to  which  it  was  a  matter  of 
indifference  whether  God  did  anything  or  nothing,  acted 
thus  and  not  otherwise  (libertas  ind  iff er  entice);  nor  the 
liberty  of  determination,  unto  the  choice  of  the  best  or 
the  fittest  (libertas  spontaneitatis);  but  the  liberty  in 
which  he  acted  only  according  to  the  laws  of  his  intrinsic 
nature  (libertas  necessitatis),  as  Spinoza  understood  that 
nature  to  be. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  in  the  opinion  of  some 
Spinoza  denied  the  Godhead  altogether,  as  he  con- 
founded the  Supreme  Being  with  his  works ;  and  that 
to  others  he  seemed  a  confirmed  pantheist.  But,  as 
remarked  by  one  of  his  countrymen,  "he  was  not  a 
pantheist,  in  the  sense  in  which  Eastern  philosophers 
and  Neo-Platonists,  according  to  their  doctrine  of  the 
emanatio,  held  God  and  the  world  as  identical.  Still, 
he  was  a  species  of  pantheist  in  that,  in  his  system, 
everything  is  in  God,  nothing  is  without  God  ;  the 
theistic  doctrine  of  a  personal,  supramundane  God  is 
hopelessly  lost." 

Spinoza's  departure  from  the  faith  caused  much  dis- 
tress to  his  family  and  to  his  Jewish  brethren  in"  the 
city.  In  every  way  they  tried  to  reclaim  him.  A  pen- 
sion of  a  thousand  florins  was  offered  him,  but  in  vain. 
An  assassin  nearly  destroyed  his  life.  At  last  he  was 
solemnly  excommunicated  from  the  synagogue.  The 
scene  was  a  fearful  one.  On  August  6,  1656,  the 
large  edifice  was  thronged.  Thousands  of  burning- 
candles,  which  had  been  painted  black,  threw  a  lurid 
glare  into  a  cavity  filled  with  blood.  A  mournful  voice 
was  heard,  in  a  sort  of  chant,  intoning  the  decree  of 


PERIOD    OF   DANGER.  231 

excommunication.  Then  the  trumpets  sounded  in  loud 
blasts.  As  these  ceased,  and  the  anathemas  were  hurled 
against  the  apostate,  the  candles  were  cast  into  the  blood 
and  extinguished.  Terror-struck  in  the  thick  dark- 
ness that  followed,  the  multitude  heard  the  dreadful 
"Amen"  by  which  the  awful  curses  were  confirmed. 

The  object  of  this  wrath  felt  that  he  could  no  longer 
remain  in  Amsterdam.  He  removed  to  the  Hague. 
He  was  regarded  as  a  pernicious  child  of  darkness,  and 
the  government  issued  placards  against  the  diffusion  of 
his  publications.  Nevertheless,  he  received,  in  16T3,  a 
call  to  a  professorship  in  Heidelberg.  This,  however,  he 
declined,  on  the  ground  that  his  liberty  of  philosophizing 
should  not  be  prejudiced  by  unavoidable  collisions  with 
critics  and  opponents.     Four  years  later  he  died. 

Spinozism,  as  it  was  called,  was  combated  by  many  in 
the  Netherlands.  Prominent  among  those  who  entered 
the  lists  against  it  was  an  intelligent  mechanic,  named 
William  Deurhoff,  who  published  several  volumes  char- 
acterized by  a  vivid  conception  of  the  nature  of  true 
philosophy  as  applied  to  the  explication  of  abstruse 
theological  problems.  In  1703  Frederic  Van  Leenhoff, 
a  minister  in  Zwol,  published  his  "Heaven  on  Earth, 
or  a  short  and  a  clear  description  of  a  sure  and  permanent 
joy,  according  to  reason  and  the  Holy  Scripture,  for  all 
sorts  of  people,  in  all  sorts  of  circumstances."  This 
book,  which  was  thought  to  be  tainted  with  the  Spinozan 
doctrine  of  fatalism,  gave  occasion  for  much  strife,  in 
which  the  magistrates  and  the  Church  authorities  took 
sides,  and  which  finally  resulted  in  the  deposition  of  the 
author,  and  in  the  Synodical  warning,  long  after  his 
death,  against  Spinozists  and  Leenhovists. 


232    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 


IX. 

THE   INFLUENCE   OF   SPIRIT   ON   MATTER   DENIED. 

Contemporary  with  Spinoza  was  a  man  who,  though 
he  provoked  the  judgments  of  the  Keformed  Church 
because  of  his  errors,  still,  in  the  very  promulgation  of 
them,  struck  such  heavy  blows  against  one  of  the  fore- 
most evils  of  the  times,  that  he  is  ever  to  be  regarded  as 
one  of  the  world's  great  deliverers.  Balthasar  Bekker 
was  born  in  1634,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Groningen. 
His  ministry  began  in  Friesland.  Although  he  was  a 
student  both  of  philosophy  and  of  theology,  yet  he  de- 
clared himself  averse  to  the  blending  of  the  two,  saying 
that  to  do  so  would  be  a  mixing  up  of  the  things  of  earth 
with  those  of  heaven. 

It  cannot  be  denied,  however,  that  in  his  polemics 
against  the  terrible  superstition  under  which  Europe 
had  been  groaning  for  nearly  two  centuries,  he  called 
to  his  aid,  in  the  elaboration  of  his  argument,  some  of 
the  principles  which  had  been  set  forth  in  the  systems  of 
Descartes  and  Spinoza.  As  an  interpreter  of  the  Bible, 
he  was  independent — refusing  to  adopt  the  rules  either 
of  Cocceius  or  of  Voet.  He  succeeded  in  getting  his 
parishioners  to  investigate  the  Scriptures  diligently  for 
themselves.  In  1670  he  asked  the  Faculty  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Franeker  to  examine  an  exposition  of  the 
Heidelberg  Catechism,  which  he  had  prepared;  and,  if 
the  way  should  be  clear,  to  signify  their  approval  of  it. 

Professor  Arnoldi  objected  to  the  book.     This  is  not 


PERIOD   OF   DANGER.  233 

surprising  if  Bekker  was  correctly  reported  to  teach  that 
if  Adam  had  not  sinned  he  would  have  been  immortal 
by  virtue  of  the  fruits  of  the  tree  of  life;  that  endless 
punishment,  which  he  said  consisted  of  horror  and  de- 
spair, is  not  in  agreement  with  the  goodness  of  God;  and 
that  episcopacy  was  the  most  ancient  and  the  usual  form 
of  Church  government.  Arnoldi  secured  from  the 
Frisian  Classis  and  Synod  a  condemnation  of  the  vol- 
ume. A  vote  to  that  effect  was  passed  on  the  ground 
that  the  exposition  was  tainted  with  Cartesianism  and 
Cocceianism.  Bekker  made  a  few  alterations  in  the 
book,  which  was  then  approved  and  published  in  1674. 
Either  the  changes  introduced  by  him  were  such  as  to 
indicate  an  entire  modification  of  the  author's  views;  or, 
if  they  were  slight  and  immaterial,  the  classical  approval 
that  followed  showed  that  there  were  many  who  sym- 
pathized with  him  in  his  opinions. 

After  this,  Bekker  assumed  the  pastorate  of  the  church 
of  Loenen,  in  Holland,  and  in  1676  he  became  minister 
at  Weesp.     In  1679  he  was  called  to  Amsterdam. 

During  the  years  1680-1  a  brilliant  comet  appeared. 
The  religious  teachers  of  the  Reformed  Church  were  in 
the  habit  of  teaching  the  people  that  these  mysterious  ce- 
lestial bodies  were  to  be  regarded  as  the  harbingers  of  great 
calamities.  Their  opinion  was  based  on  Gen.  i.  14;  Luke 
xxi.ll;  Actsii.  19,  20.  They  derived  support  from  the  rule 
which  was  universally  received:  omnium  gentium  confes- 
sionem  naturae  vocem  esse  putandum.  When,  in  1664, 
a  comet  had  frightened  the  beholders,  Voet  justified 
their  fears  by  his  book  "  Exercitatio  cle  Prognosticis 
Cometarum."  In  this  volume  he  announced,  with  all 
the  earnestness  of  pious  conviction,  that  comets  are  the 
reliable  indicators  of  calamitous  events.  Petit,  however, 
in  France,  and  Sturm  in  Germany,  published  their  dis- 


234    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

sent  from  this  view.  Bekker  issued  his  protest  in  1683, 
at  Leeuwarden,  in  an  elaborate  work  on  comets.  As 
the  sceptical  Peter  Bayle  held  the  same  position  in  re- 
gard to  these  phenomena  as  that  expressed  by  Bekker, 
this  fact  did  not  a  little  towards  bringing  the  latter  into 
disrepute  with  the  orthodox. 

The  peacefulness  of  Bekker's  life  at  Amsterdam  came 
to  an  end  when,  twelve  years  after  his  settlement  there, 
he  published,  in  1691,  his  most  famous  work,  entitled, 
"The  World  Bewitched"  (De  Betooverde  Wereld).  This 
work,  during  the  composition  of  which  he  was  encour- 
aged by  his  wife,  effected  much  toward  the  breaking  up 
of  the  dreadful  evil  of  witch-hunting  and  witch-killing. 
It  created  a  great  excitement.  It  is  a  mine  of  learning. 
Many  apparently  well-sustained  ghost-stories  were  by 
the  author  traced  to  their  origin  at  very  great  pains, 
since  he  visited  in  person  the  scenes  of  many  of  them, 
and,  by  his  inquiries,  was  often  led  into  the  most  repul- 
sive places.  Among  the  numerous  medals  that  were 
struck,  expressive  either  of  the  esteem  or  of  the  abhor- 
rence in  which  this  composition  was  held  by  the  people, 
is  one  in  which  Bekker  is  represented  as  a  Hercules,  and 
his  book  as  a  club  with  which  he  drives  the  devil  out  of 
the  earth. 

The  design  of  this  work  was  to  free  Christians  from 
the  fear,  which  they  shared  with  Jews  and  Mahometans, 
of  the  Chief  of  evil  spirits,  who  was  presumed  capable 
of  injuring  both  the  bodies  and  the  souls  of  men.  This 
fear  Bekker  regarded  as  the  natural  consequence  of  the 
prevailing  but  erroneous  ideas  concerning  good  spirits 
and  bad,  and  their  power  to  influence  man.  His  opin- 
ion was,  that  the  statements  in  the  Bible  concerning 
good  angels  and  bad  angels,  were  to  be  understood  in  an 
allegorical  sense.     The  good  angels  that  were  mentioned 


PERIOD   OF  DANGER.  235 

were  good  men;  and  the  bad  angels  were  either  bad 
men,  or  they  were  bad  passions  and  propensities,  so 
called.  Demoniacal  possessions  were  cases  of  epilepsy. 
The  Lord,  indeed,  spoke  and  acted  as  though  they  were 
genuine  cases  of  possession,  but  this  he  did  only  in  con- 
formity to  an  unsurmouu  table  prejudice,  wdiich  he  well 
knew  it  would  not  be  prudent  to  ignore.  Thus,  too, 
the  results  of  the  operations  of  purely  natural  agencies, 
were  by  the  Lord  and  his  apostles  ascribed  to  the  in- 
fluence of  angels.  They  did  this  in  accordance  with  the 
notions  of  the  times,  and  after  the  example  of  the  pro- 
phets of  the  Old  Testament.  It  is  not  possible  for  the 
devil  and  evil  spirits  to  injure  mankind,  because  the 
Scripture  itself  says  that  he  is  confined  in  an  abyss, 
bound  in  chains.  And  if  it  were  not  so,  yet  he  could 
not,  as  a  spiritual  being,  affect  the  bodies  of  men. 

In  support  of  this  point  Bekker  drew  upon  the  phi- 
losophy of  Descartes.  A  thinking  substance,  he  said, 
could  not  operate  on  an  extended  substance.  His  argu- 
ment, as  set  forth  by  Maclaine,  is  as  follows:  "  The 
essence  of  mind  is  thought  and  the  essence  of  matter  is 
extension.  Xow,  since  there  is  no  sort  of  conformity  or 
connection  between  a  thought  and  extension,  mind  can- 
not act  upon  matter  unless  these  substances  are  united 
as  soul  and  body  are  in  man;  therefore  no  separate 
spirit,  either  good  or  evil,  can  act  upon  mankind.  Such 
acting  is  miraculous,  and  miracles  can  be  performed  by 
God  alone."  Bekker  admitted  that  God  acts  upon  mat- 
ter, but  he  declared  that  this  was  miraculous.  Unless 
he  denied  that  God  acts  upon  matter  constantly,  he  held 
that  miracles  were  unceasingly  performed.  If  there  is 
no  time  when  there  is  no  miracle,  when  is  the  time  when 
there  is  a  miracle?    It  is  hardly  probable  that  Bekker 


236    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

did  not  perceive  this  dilemma;  but  if  he  did,  he  did  not 
announce  his  way  out  of  it. 

The  Consistory  of  the  Church  at  Amsterdam  were  the 
first  to  proceed  against  Bekker.  TheClassis  of  Amster- 
dam next  took- up  the  case;  and  then  the  Synod  of  North 
Holland,  which  met  at  Edam  the  same  year  (1691)  that 
"  The  World  Bewitched  "  was  published.  During  the 
following  year  the  author  was  suspended  from  the  min- 
istry. The  sentence  of  suspension  only,  was  passed  in  the 
hope  that  the  subject  of  it  would  abandon  his  errors. 
This,  however,  he  refused  to  do,  since  he  had  enter- 
tained these  views  already  for  a  period  of  twenty-five 
years.  Accordingly  the  Synod,  meeting  that  same  year 
at  Alkmaar,  deposed  him  from  his  office  and  debarred 
him  from  the  privileges  of  the  communion.  Six  years 
later  (1699)  Bekker  died,  without  having  become  recon- 
ciled to  the  Church.  Indicative  of  the  feeling  of  the 
magistrates  of  the  city  toward  him  is  the  fact  that  they 
continued  him  to  the  last  in  the  enjoyment  of  his  salary, 
and  prevented  the  Consistory  from  electing  any  one  in 
his  place  until  he  had  passed  away. 

As  late  as  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century  many 
synods  had  in  their  order  of  proceedings  a  lemma  en- 
titled "Dr.  Bekker."  This  was  introduced  in  1693, 
when  the  Classes  of  North  Holland  and  South  Holland 
adopted  certain  questions  which  were  to  be  asked  of  can- 
didates for  licensure,  with  reference  to  what  was  called 
"Bekkerism."  The  Classis  of  Walcheren,  in  Zeeland, 
speedily  followed  the  example. 


PERIOD   OF   DANGER.  237 


X. 

RATIONALISE   APPLIED   TO   CHRISTOLOGY. 

The  leader  of  those  who,  during  this  period,  were  of 
opinion  that  reason  and  conscience  justty  constitute  the 
bar  at  which  the  true  and  the  false,  the  good  and  the 
evil,  are  to  be  determined,  was  Herman  Alexander  Koell. 
He  was  born  in  1653,  in  the  earldom  Mark.  During 
his  youth  he  had  the  benefit  of  the  instructions  of  the 
very  best  teachers.  The  city  of  Deventer  was  the  scene 
of  his  ministerial  work.  At  first  a  Cartesian  Cocceian, 
he  afterwards  followed  in  the  footsteps  of  Jacob  Alting  in 
Groniugen,  Heidegger- in  Zurich,  Wittichius  in  Leyden, 
and  Burman  in  Utrecht. 

In  obedience  to  their  instructions,  and  after  their  ex- 
ample, he  contended  for  a  free  investigation  of  the 
Scripture,  explaining  it  as  he  understood  it.  Like  these 
men  he  regarded  the  Bible  as  a  deep  sea  from  whose 
bed  new  pearls  Avere  to  be  gathered.  From  the  disciples 
of  Gomarus  and  Maresius,  who  clung  to  the  utterances 
of  the  Synod  of  Dort,  he  stood  aloof,  and  he  strength- 
ened himself  in  his  position  upon  the  basis  of  Art.  VII. 
of  the  Confession.  Later  he  became  independent  even 
of  the  guides  of  his  younger  years.  His  sentiments  he 
was  wont  to  express  in  a  Latin  sentence  which  he  fre- 
quently wrote  in  the  album  of  a  friend:  "  My  friend,  I 
do  not  adhere  either  to  the  old  or  to  the  new;  whether 
it  be  the  old  or  the  new,  if  it  be  the  truth,  I  love  it." 

In  1685  he  was  called  to  the  professorship  of  philoso- 


238    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE   NETHERLANDS. 

phy  in  the  University  of  Franeker.  He  declared  his 
acceptance  of  the  appointment,  on  condition  that  he 
should  be  allowed  to  teach  theology  also.  This  was 
granted,  and  an  addition  was  made  to  the  nsnal  salary. 
In  1 704  he  was  called  to  the  chair  of  theology  in  Utrecht 
He  was  already  involved  in  the  troubles  occasionec 
by  the  promulgation  of  his  rationalistic  views.  The 
States  of  Holland  declared  that  they  wonld  persist  in 
their  opposition  to  him  until  he  withdrew  his  opinions. 
The  churches  of  Gelderland  and  Over  Yssel  attempted 
to  soften  this  spirit  of  hostility,  but  in  vain.  Roell 
taught  in  Utrecht  fourteen  years.     He  died  in  1718. 

He  held  to  the  strange  doctrine  that  the  death  of  the 
saints  is  a  punishment,  by  which  the  justice  of  God  is 
satisfied  in  time.  The  judicial  nature  of  it  he  main- 
tained on  the  ground  that  in  the  justification  of  God's 
people  the  punishment  due  to  some  of  their  sins  only  is 
remitted;  and  that  their  entire  exemption  from  it  is  a 
fact  only  after  the  resurrection.  This  notion  was  re- 
sisted by  many  writers;  but  the  interest  in  the  question 
soon  became  lost  in  the  greater  excitement  created  by 
Roell's  singular  tenet  in  regard  to  the  generation  of  the 
Son  of  God. 

The  doctrine  of  the  eternal  generation  of  the  Son,  as 
set  forth  in  the  Confession  of  the  Reformed  Church  and 
the  Heidelberg  Catechism,  he  denied  as  being  in  utter 
conflict  with  reason.  The  book  in  which  he  presented 
his  views  on  this  topic  was  published  in  1G90.  Some 
time  before,  when  his  treatise,  "  De  Recta  Ratiocina- 
tione"  appeared,  he  had,  by  attributing  too  wide  a  lati- 
tude to  the  mere  reason,  given  occasion  to  the  orthodox 
to  be  on  the  watch  against  his  publications  as  probable 
sources  of  danger  to  the  Reformed  Church.  Huber,  an 
eminent  lawyer  and  a  pious  man,   replied.     The  fact, 


PERIOD   OF  DANGER.  239 

however,  that  he  was  under  censure  by  a  Frisian  synod 
because  he  had  expressed  himself  as  not  opposed  to  danc- 
ing, detracting  somewhat  from  his  reputation  for  piety, 
weakened  also,  in  the  opinion  of  those  of  his  own  side, 
the  influence  which  his  book  might  have  exerted.  Koell 
resisted  the  attack  made  upon  him  by  Huber,  and  the 
strife  became  very  fierce.  The  Synod  of  Friesland  was 
disposed  to  proceed  against  Koell,  but  the  State  inter- 
posed, forbade  any  ecclesiastical  action  in  the  matter, 
and  enjoined  silence  upon  both  parties. 

In  reference  to  the  relation  between  the  First  and 
the  Second  Persons  of  the  Trinity,  designated  in  the  Bi- 
ble by  the  phrase  "  the  only  begotten  Son,"  Koell  la- 
bored to  furnish  a  purer  explanation  than  that  furnished 
in  the  standards  of  the  Church.  The  term  "genera- 
tion," as  it  appears  in  these  symbols,  he  could  not  en- 
dure, because,  to  his  mind,  it  was  not  Scriptural,  nor  in 
accord  with  the  perfection  of  the  divine  nature. 

Since  the  Son  is  coequal  with  the  Father,  He  cannot 
be  this  in  virtue  of  a  generation  or  production.  Such  a 
conception  is  not  possible,  unless  in  the  case  of  the  Son 
there  was  a  transition  from  non-existence  to  a  state  of 
being.  The  Father,  too,  must  then  have  existed  before 
the  Son  who  was  begotten  of  him.  Moreover,  the  Son 
must  be  dependent  on  the  Father  from  whom  he  is  de- 
rived. The  Son  would  then  be  less  perfect  than  the 
Father;  that  is,  he  would  not  be  divine.  Thus  reason- 
ing away  the  term  "  generation" — which  he  took  in  its 
first  and  obvious  sense — from  the  doctrine  of  the  Church, 
Roell  felt  impelled  to  account  for  the  phrase  "Son  of 
God."     He  did  it  in  this  manner: 

In  the  first  place,  he  denied  that  the  ground  for  this 
designation  lay  in  the  eternal  presence  of  the  Son  with 
the  Father,     Terms  expressive  of  a  fraternal  relation 


240    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE   NETHERLANDS. 

would  be  more  appropriate  to  indicate  this.  If  mere 
eternal  presence  be  such  ground,  then  the  Son,  or  the 
Holy  Ghost,  is  as  well  entitled  to  the  name  Father. 
Eoell  therefore  concluded  that  the  true  ground  for  the 
designation  "  Son  of  G-od"  lay  in  the  divine  mission  of 
Christ.  The  names  "Christ"  and  "Son  of  God"  were 
in  the  Scripture,  he  said,  interchangeable  terms  (Matt, 
xxvi.  63;  John  xi.  27;  John  xx.  31),  just  as  the  names 
"  King  of  Israel  "  and  "  Son  of  God"  are  (John  i.  49). 
As  the  Christ,  the  promised  King  of  Israel,  Jesus  was 
an  extraordinary  messenger  from  God;  and  thus,  accord- 
ing to  the  manner  of  speaking  usual  among  the  Jews, 
he  might  emphatically  be  called  the  Son  of  God. 
Thus  he  could  say  of  himself,  "  He  who  hath  seen  me 
hath  seen  the  Father"  (John  xiv.  9).  In  this  relation  he 
must  be  less  than  the  Father,  as  he  said,  "I  go  to  my 
Father,  and  my  Father  is  greater  than  I"  (John  xiv.  28). 
The  relation  between  the  Father  and  the  Son  is  that  be- 
tween the  Sender  and  the  Sent  who  bears  his  image 
(Col.  i.  15;  Heb.  i.  3).  The  ambassador  was  commis- 
sioned to  reclaim  the  rebellious  subjects;  and  to  him 
authority  had  been  given  to  protect  and  benefit  those 
who  had  been  reclaimed.  God  the  Sender  or  the  Father 
is  the  same  in  substance  with  God  the  Sent  or  his  Son. 
The  Sender,  the  Sent,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  are  one  God 
in  substance,  eternity,  independence,  and  immutability 
— the  true  God. 

The  author  of  this  clever,  but  by  no  means  convincing, 
argument  was  charged  with  a  leaning  toward  Arianism. 
Flinging  back  the  charge,  he  sought  to  fasten  it  upon 
those  who  held  the  faith  of  the  Reformed.  His  strongest 
opponent  was  Campegius  Vitringa.  This  eminent  man 
had  been  called  to  the  professorship  of  theology  at 
Franeker  in  1682.     He  was  a  pupil  of  the  celebrated 


PERIOD   OF  DANGER.  241 

Witsius.  In  his  systematic  theology,  Doctrina  Religionis 
Christiana,  which  is  called  the  finest  theological  work 
of  the  seventeenth  century,  he  is  said  to  have  avoided 
the  Scylla  and  the  Charybdis  of  the  Aristotelian  and  the 
Cartesian  philosophies.  He  replied  to  Roell  in  1691. 
In  his  work  he  established  the  two  propositions:  1.  The 
Son,  being  the  Second  Person  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  is 
from  eternity  begotten  of  the  Father.  2.  This  is  the 
first  and  the  chief  reason  why  this  Second  Person  of  the 
Holy  Trinity  is  called  the  Son.  Xo  one  could  depart, 
said  Vitringa,  from  these  positions  without  offending 
against  the  Reformed  Church. 

The  conflict  between  the  two  men  became  very  severe. 
At  first  the  debate  was  conducted  in  the  scholarly  Latin, 
and  then  in  the  vernacular  for  the  instruction  of  the 
common  people.  Roell  issued  his  "  Short  and  Simple 
Report  of  the  Differences  concerning  the  Generation  of 
the  Son."  Vitringa  replied  with  his  "Short  Statement 
of  the  Faith  of  the  Universal  Church  concerning  the 
Generation  of  the  Son."  The  orthodox  proposed  to 
William  III.  that  a  synod  should  be  convoked  for  the 
settlement  of  the  points  in  dispute,  but  he  refused  to 
accede  to  the  plan.  Still  Consistories,  Classes,  Synods, 
and  even  the  magistrates  were  much  incensed  against 
Roell;  and  there  was  a  loud  demand  that  the  placards 
issued  against  the  Socinians  should  be  enforced  upon 
him.  The  States  of  Friesland,  however,  took  a  middle 
course.  They  adopted  a  decree  commanding  all  profes- 
sors and  ministers  to  refrain  from  discussing  Roell's 
opinions.  Upon  himself  they  enjoined  a  strict  silence 
in  regard  to  them. 
21 


242    REFORMED    CHURCH   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 


XI. 


THE     STATE     OF     THE     CHURCH   AT    THE   BEGINNING    OF 
THE    EIGHTEENTH    CENTURY. 

When  the  pulpit  is  to  a  very  large  degree  the  only 
educational  power  of  the  community,  it  should  resound 
with  the  truth  delivered  in  its  purity.  But  the  effective- 
ness of  the  teachings  of  religion  requires  that  its  minis- 
ters should  illustrate  the  vital  force  of  them  by  their 
faithfulness  to  duty,  their  charity  toward  each  other, 
and  their  heavenly-mindedness  among  the  people  of  their 
charges.  The  absence  of  these  essentials  works  great 
disaster  to  the  Church.  The  salt  loses  its  savor  when 
the  pastor  and  his  flock  become  conformed,  in  one  way 
and  another,  to  the  world. 

The  condition  of  the  Church  during  and  at  the  close 
of  this  period  of  danger  was  most  lamentable.  The  out- 
look for  the  friends  of  true  religion  was  a  very  gloomy 
one.  There  was  no  lack  of  an  external  maintenance  of 
the  formulas  and  of  exactness  in  doctrine.  But,  as  there 
were  hair-splitting  dissensions  about  non-essentials,  and 
a  dangerous  spirit  of  doubt  was  beginning  to  assert 
itself,  there  was  but  little  of  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel 
whereby  alone  the  development  of  infidelity  can  be  com- 
bated successfully,  and  faith,  conversion,  and  the  fruits 
worthy  of  a  genuine  repentance  can  be  wrought.  While 
there  was  a  great  solicitude  in  respect  to  dead  forms,  the 
soul  of  religion  was  departing  from  the  schools  in  which 
the  people  were  receiving  their  instruction.     The  depar- 


PERIOD   OF  BANGER.  243 

ture,  from  the  Church,  of  its  corrective  virtue,  and  the 
consequent  corruption  of  the  morals  of  the  community, 
reacted  upon  the  Church  in  the  increase  of  the  danger 
lest  it  should  become  totally  extinguished. 

Promiscuous  congregations  were  frequently  told  from 
the  pulpits  that  the  Bible  not  seldom  conforms  to  erro- 
neous popular  notions,  and  that  it  is  a  dreadful  thing  to 
imagine  that  philosophy  is  of  less  service  than  theology. 
It  was  preached  that  the  acquisition  of  the  knowledge  of 
the  fixedness  of  the  sun,  and  of  the  earth's  motion  around 
it,  was  an  essential  step  heavenward;  and  that  the  con- 
tradiction of  these  plain  facts  was  an  exhibition  of  a 
lamentable  ignorance  concerning  the  true  meaning  of 
Psalm  xix.  6. 

The  services  of  the  Sabbath  were  in  many  cases  con- 
fined to  those  of  the  morning.  Where  two  services  on 
the  Lord's  day  were  nominally  held,  one  of  them  was 
discontinued  at  least  during  the  harvest  season.  Cate- 
chetical exercises  were  wholly  neglected,  or  they  were 
abandoned  to  the  care  of  an  inferior  class  of  persons. 
The  conflicts  in  regard  to  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath 
did  much  toward  bringing  the  day  into  disrepute.  In 
many  cities  Sundays  were  market-days,  and  the  people 
labored  as  on  week-days.  The  Lord's  days  were  also 
desecrated  by  the  holding  of  fairs  and  by  the  perform- 
ance of  dramatic  plays.  Increased  prosperity  wrought 
luxury,  and  it  was  the  foster-mother  of  worldliness, 
pride  and  licentiousness. 

Against  these  evils  the  Church  availed  but  little.  She 
herself  had  become  corrupt.  Even  among  the  ministers 
the  orthodox  doctrine  appeared  to  have  lost  its  power 
and  vitality.  The  S3rstem  of  salvation  through  free 
grace  was  to  many  of  them  a  mere  collection  of  well-or- 
ganized ideas;  a  treasure  of  the  intellect  in  which  the 


244    REFOEMED   CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

heart  had  no  share;  a  dry  skeleton  destitute  of  spiritual 
life.  The  careful  professors  of  the  Gospel  were  only  few 
in  number.  Some  who  were  distressed  by  this  condition 
of  things  addressed  to  the  consistories  complaints  which 
were  not  heeded,  or  they  sought  refuge  in  private  conven- 
ticles, and,  on  that  account,  were  regarded  with  suspi- 
cion. The  assent  of  the  communicants  to  the  doctrines 
of  the  Church  did  not  spring  from  conviction,  but  was 
a  blind  subscription  to  the  so-called  creed  of  the  multi- 
tude. Many  doctrines  were  maintained  with  every  show 
of  acute  learning,  but,  for  all  that,  a  decaying  Church 
no  more  could  aid,  through  the  power  of  love  for,  and 
consecration  to,  the  truth,  in  the  true  education  of  so- 
ciety. There  seemed  to  be  no  use  in  insisting  upon 
these  doctrines  when  a  feeling  of  interest,  based  upon  a 
visible  operation  of  them  in  the  heart  and  upon  the  out-  ' 
ward  conduct,  could  not  be  enlisted  in  their  behalf.  The 
deliverance  of  the  Church,  and  the  triumph  of  the  Word 
over  the  world,  cannot  be  accomplished  by  means  of  cold 
and  unfruitful  polemics. 

Groen  Van  Prinsterer  gives  a  picture  of  these  times. 
"The  seductive  promises  of  philosophy  were  cherished. 
It  seemed  as  though  by  the  abolition  of  superstition  and 
abuses,  which  it  pretended  to  aim  at,  this  philosophy 
could  be  brought,  in  the  most  splendid  manner,  into 
harmony  with  all  that  was  most  worthy  of  conservation. 
Henceforth  there  was  to  be  a  general  religiousness,  in 
which  the  superstition  of  Borne  and  the  bigotry  of  Pro- 
testants would  be  lost;  or  else,  in  the  mutual  acceptance 
of  the  precepts  of  a  moral  nature,  there  would  be  a  lov- 
ing and  a  fraternal  toleration  of  the  doctrines  in  regard 
to  which  the  two  parties  had  formerly  stood  opposed  to 
each  other  in  the  spirit  of  a  bitter  hostility.  The  cause 
of  true  religion,  it  was  said,  would  be  the  gainer  when 


PERIOD    OF   DANGER.  245 

universal  philanthropy,  far  better  than  a  dead  Chris- 
tendom, appeared  as  the  representative  of  that  which  is 
truly  lovely.  In  that  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel  was  ig- 
nored, there  was  a  rejection  of  that  submission  to  the 
Word  of  God  which  consists  as  much  in  obedience  as  in 
resisting  that  which  opposes  the  Scripture.  The  value 
of  the  Reformation,  it  was  thought  in  the  beginning  of 
the  eighteenth  century,  lay,  not  in  a  believing  and  prayer- 
ful meditation  on  the  Bible,  but  in  a  proud  investigation 
of  its  contents  and  in  the  rejection  of  what  were  con- 
sidered the  unsuitable  parts  of  it.  Hitherto,  was  the 
cry,  our  race  was  at  the  sport  of  fanaticism  and  violence, 
but  henceforth  it  shall  be  led  forward  under  the  glorious 
banner  of  liberty  and  enlightenment,  into  the  golden 
age  of  a  genuine  salvation.  Nothing  less  than  the  re- 
naissance of  the  State  and  the  Church,  of  social  and 
political  life,  was  aimed  at  by  those  who  adopted  the  no- 
tions of  the  times.  The  schools  and  the  pulpits  were 
devoted  to  the  extension  of  this  product  of  philosophy 
and  religion.  Many  who  had  never  seen  the  shining  of 
the  real  sun,  thought  that  this  sickly  flicker  of  a  short- 
lived flame  was  the  rising  of  the  dawn." 

The  religious  history  of  the  nations,  as  well  as  their 
secular  history,  repeats  itself.  In  the  time  of  a  general 
decline  in  spiritual  things,  Israel,  warned  by  afflictive 
providences  of  the  evil  of  their  course,  temporarily  re- 
turned to  God.  So,  also,  the  people  of  the  Netherlands. 
The  last  quarter  of  the  seventeenth  century  was  a  time 
of  great  anxiety.  The  very  existence  of  the  republic  was 
placed  in  jeopardy.  Strong  enemies  beset  it  on  all  sides. 
A  day  of  fasting  and  prayer  was  appointed  for  May  4, 
1672.  The  first  Wednesday  of  every  month  it  was  to  be 
repeated.  In  some  places  prayer-meetings  were  held 
every  evening.  The  churches  were  thronged.    In  Utrecht 


246    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

the  aged  Voetius  continued  his  lectures.  He  encouraged 
the  people  by  quoting  a  saying  of  Athanasius  :  "  Nubi- 
cula  est,  transibit."  Ministers  forgot  their  dissensions 
and  endeavored  to  promote  spirituality.  In  Friesland 
they  joined  in  abandoning  all  that  whereby  their  persons 
had  become  intolerable  and  their  services  useless.  In 
Zeeland  the  attempt  was  made  to  make  a  covenant  be- 
tween the  politicians,  the  ecclesiastics,  and  the  common 
people,  to  the  effect  that  all  would  unite  in  serving  the 
Lord. 

Alas,  that  this  reform  did  not  continue  after  the  cloud 
of  war  had  been  scattered!  The  simple  Word  of  God 
was  once  more  set  aside.  All  sorts  of  infidel  theories 
were  admitted.  A  dead  orthodoxy  was  embraced.  A 
philosophy  which,  based  on  the  denial  of  God,  yet  car- 
ried a  thin  varnish  of  conscientiousness,  was  invoked  to 
flatter  pride  and  covetousness.  Every  bond  of  an  au- 
thoritative revelation  was  torn  asunder  as  though  it  were 
the  chain  of  a  despicable  slavery.  Man  was  deified  be- 
cause, in  the  domain  of  faith,  homage  was  paid  to  reason, 
and,  in  that  of  politics,  to  the  sovereignty  of  the  people. 

The  period  of  danger  seemed  to  be  merging  into  that 
of  decay  and  destruction. 


TRANSITIONAL  PERIOD. 


O    Se    KvplOS    TO    TtVBVjAOL    8GTLV     OV    $S    TO    7TVS£/Ja 

Kvpiov,   bksi   eXavOepia. 


I. 

BEFORE  AXD  AFTER  THE  MAIN  EVENT. 

The  chief  event  of  the  last  of  the  four  periods  into 
which  I  divide  the  history  of  the  Reformed  Church  in 
the  Netherlands,  is  the  separation  between  the  Church 
and  the  State.  The  term  transitional  which  I  predicate 
of  that  period,  relates  to  all  that  preceded,  in  the  way  of 
preparation,  and  to  all  that  followed,  in  the  way  of  con- 
sequence, the  event  which,  occurring  in  1795,  is  nearly  at 
the  centre  of  the  century  contained  between  the  years 
1740  and  1840,  and  can  be  viewed  properly  only  in  the 
due  consideration  of  that  which  led  to  it  and  of  that 
which  resulted  from  it.  If  it  be  asked  if  the  condi- 
tion, to  which  the  Church  passed  through  its  separation 
from  the  State,  is  one  of  emancipation  from  the  pressure 
of  an  unduly  exercised  civil  authority,  the  answer  is  that 
the  nearly  semi-century  that  has  elapsed  since  1840, 
must  grow  into  the  completed  cycle  before  that  matter 
can  be  determined  in  the  affirmative.  Indeed,  a  longer 
time  than  that  required  to  complete  the  twenty-first 
century  of  the  Christian  era  may  be  necessary  for  the 
development  of  the  idea  of  a  total  divorcement  between 
the  civil  and  the  religious  powers,  which,  cherished  by 
the  revolutionists  of  1795,  has  been  crystallized  into  an 
actual  fact  only  in  respect  to  the  Reformed  Church  in 
America.  How  then  shall  the  use  of  the  term  transi- 
tional in  this  connection  be  justified?  In  the  expecta- 
tion that  in  the  future  the  mother-Church   shall  yet 


250    REFORMED   CHURCH  IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

attain  unto  the  same  degree  of  liberty  which  the 
daughter,  in  another  hemisphere,  enjoys  in  the  land 
in  which,  in  respect  to  her  doctrine,  her  polity,  her  dis- 
cipline, her  support,  and  her  ethics,  the  Reformed  Church 
pursues  her  course  in  entire  independence  of  the  civil 
government. 

And  still,  the  freedom  to  which  the  mother-Church 
attained  was  not  at  last  found  to  be  so  limited  as  to  be 
despicable.  In  the  acquisition  of  it  there  was  a  great  step 
in  advance,  even  though  some  godly  men,  denying  this, 
have  claimed  in  their  writings  that  even  a  partial  re- 
lease for  the  Church  from  the  bonds  of  the  civil  authority, 
is  in  opposition  to  the  powers  that  are  ordained  of  God, 
and  hence  provokes  his  righteous  anger.  Nevertheless, 
it  must  be  admitted  that  the  loosening,  to  some  degree, 
of  the  tie  which  had  continued  for  more  than  two  hun- 
dred years,  was  a  blessing,  though  God  brought  it  out  to 
his  people  of  the  Reformed  Church  from  among  some  of 
the  most  terrible  evidences  of  human  depravity.  In  that 
it  is  a  blessing  the  reception  and  the  right  use  of  which 
mark  the  progress  of  the  Church,  it  is  a  witness  to  the 
fact  that  God  can  make  the  wrath  of  man  to  praise  him. 

Although  the  State,  in  being  deprived  of  that  author- 
ity in  the  Church  which  it  always  valued  and  missed  no 
opportunity  of  asserting,  considered  itself  shorn  of  its 
just  prerogatives,  yet  it  contributed  towards  its  own  hu- 
miliation. It  did  this  by  its  concessions  and  by  its  arro- 
gance. An  example  of  the  former  is  its  treatment  of  a 
case  of  friction  between  the  Jansenist  and  the  Romish 
inhabitants  of  the  land.  In  1725  there  had  been  ques- 
tion of  appointing  an  apostolic  vicar  in  the  Netherlands. 
The  former  opposed  the  latter  in  the  wish  to  have  such 
an  officer  confirmed  by  the  Pope.  The  government  of 
the  Netherlands  took  the  part   of  the  Jansenists,  and 


TRANSITIONAL   PERIOD.  251 

when  the  Venetian  ambassador  asked  that  the  matter 
might  be  decided  against  them,  and  the  apostolic  vicar 
admitted  under  the  protection  of  the  government,  the 
following  noble  answer  was  returned:  "  In  matters  of 
religion,  including  those  which  relate  to  ecclesiastical 
discipline,  there  should  be  no  coercion.  In  regard  to  these 
things  every  one  is  free  to  believe  what  he  deems  to  be  the 
most  promotive  of  his  salvation.  We  indeed  judge  that 
our  form  of  religion  is  the  best.  We  should  be  pleased 
to  have  all  our  subjects  embrace  it,  but  we  cannot  force 
any  one.  Let  each  profess  the  religion  which  to  him  is 
the  best,  provided  he  conduct  himself  like  a  good  and 
faithful  subject.  Upon  this  ground  we  permit  the 
religion  of  the  Eoman  Catholics,  without  concerning 
ourselves  about  their  peculiar  quarrels.  We  are  for- 
bidden by  the  inviolable  laws  of  our  republic  to  use  our 
authority  in  deciding  these  quarrels.  Much  less  can  we 
suffer  an  appeal  to  a  strange  authority  for  the  purpose 
of  forcing  any  to  yield  their  opinions,  or  to  submit  to 
one  who  is  styled  the  upper-shepherd.  We  are  under 
obligation  to  protect  both  parties  against  persecution. 
We  shall  never  permit  the  court  of  Eome  to  exercise  an 
unlimited  authority  within  our  States." 

The  sentiments  expressed  in  this  reply  may  now  be 
seen  standing  in  close  relation  to  the  event  that  occurred 
seventy  years  later,  even  though  the  utterance  of  them 
does  not  seem  to  intimate  that  they  who  held  them, 
were  disposed  to  yield  one  iota  of  their  claims  to  exer- 
cise a  political  supervision  over  the  Church  and  its 
affairs.  These  claims,  indeed,  were  asserted  frequently 
in  a  most  arrogant  manner,  and  persistence  in  them 
helped  not  a  little  towards  bringing  about  what  was 
regarded  by  many  lovers  of  politico-ecclesiasticism  as 
the  catastrophe  of  1795.     In  the  very  matter  of  the 


252    REFORMED   CHURCH  IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

vicar,  when,  in  1732,  the  ministers  of  Holland,  fearing 
that  the  government  would  yield  to  Jesuitical  influence, 
sent  in  a  petition,  they  were  told  not  to  disturb  them- 
selves, and  were  put  upon  their  guard  against  passing 
judgment  upon  the  acts  of  the  government  in  church 
affairs,  since  it  was  capable  of  deciding  what  ought  to 
be  done.  Although  since  that  year  the  doctrine  of 
liberty  in  religion  for  all  had  been  gaining  ground,  yet, 
as  regards  the  Established  Church,  the  State  retained 
upon  it  the  strong  grasp  which  it  was  not  disposed  to 
relax.  At  different  times  the  latter  made  its  power  felt. 
Ignoring  the  growth  of  the  spirit  of  freedom  which 
rendered  men  restive  under  any  form  of  restraint,  it 
aroused  against  itself  an  opposition,  which  ceased  not 
until  its  temporary  overthrow,  at  least,  was  effected. 

Among  the  movements  within  the  Church  which 
tended  in  the  direction  of  an  independence  of  political, 
ecclesiastical,  and  alas!  even  divine  authority  were,  in 
the  first  place,  the  frequent  strange  departures  from  the 
faith  of  the  Reformed  Church  as  expressed  in  her  sym- 
bols, and  the  commotions  to  which  their  detection  and 
their  defense  by  those  whom  they  concerned  gave  rise. 
By  means  of  the  promulgation  of  these  erratic  opinions, 
the  minds  of  men  became  unsettled,  and,  as  a  result  of 
the  bitterness  with  which  these  errors  often  were  pursued, 
the  people  lost  confidence  in  the  faith  which  ought  to 
work  by  love.  With  the  spirit  of  dissension  which  was 
cherished  by  many  who  yet  deemed  themselves  to  be 
actuated  by  zeal  for  the  truth,  a  spirit  of  mutual  tolera- 
tion came  into  sharp  conflict.  It  was  a  toleration, 
however,  which  was  not  born  of  Christian  charity,  but 
a  species  of  indifference  as  to  what  was  believed,  which 
really  had  its  root  in  enmity  to  the  truth  as  set  forth  in 
the  standards  of  the  Reformed   Church.     The  leaven 


TRANSITIONAL  PERIOD.  253 

introduced  by  Voltaire's  work  on  "toleration  in  reli- 
gion" was  pervading  the  minds  of  men.  This  kind  of 
toleration  the  government  fostered,  not  aware  that  by 
this  course  it  was  weakening  its  own  claims.  When  a 
Classis  was  faithful  or  bold  enough  to  call  to  account 
any  who  had  strayed  from  the  true  doctrine,  the  States 
threatened  it  with  their  displeasure  and  said  that  this 
disturbing  heresy-hunting  must  cease. 

Most  sad  was  the  condition  of  the  Netherlands  when 
the  torch  of  revolution,  kindled  in  France,  was  brought 
over  into  them.  No  greater  mistake  ever  was  made 
by  their  people  than  when  they  took  up  the  refrain  of 
the  cry,  "Liberty,  Fraternity,  Equality."  It  was  the 
liberty  in  whose  name,  as  Madame  Roland  on  her  way  to 
the  scaffold  said,  great  crimes  were  committed.  It  was 
the  fraternity  and  the  equality  which  are  synonymous 
with  the  worst  kind  of  communism.  Well  might 
Van  der  Palm  call  these  times  days  of  wandering,  and 
his  son-in-law,  N.  Beets,  compare  them  to  an  attack  of 
fever  and  delirium.  As  faith  became  weak,  doubt  and 
unbelief  grew  apace.  The  wisdom  of  the  age  exalted 
man  to  be  his  own  lawgiver.  It  proclaimed  revelation 
a  fraud,  and  God  a  superfluity  if  not  a  nonentity.  The 
doctrines  of  the  Reformed  Church  were  specimens  of 
superstition  and  bigotry  of  which  it  must  be  purified. 
Rationalism  and  neology  must  soften  the  disagreeable 
tenets  which  hitherto  had  been  held. 

By  the  application  of  this  process  the  cardinal  doc- 
trines of  religion  underwent  a  wondrous  transformation. 
Election,  the  Trinity,  justification  by  faith  in  Christ, 
were  wholly  rejected  as  absurd  and  dangerous  to 
morality.  The  Deity  of  Christ  is  only  his  God-likeness. 
Original  sin  is  merely  a  corruption  of  morals.  Depra- 
vity is  simply  weakness.  Regeneration  is  no  more  than 
22 


254    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

a  moral  improvement.  Inspiration  is  only  a  higher 
degree  of  enlightenment.  Geology  shows  that  Moses  was 
wrong.  Anatomy  and  physics  indicate  the  supremacy 
of  matter.  The  progress  of  Greek  literature  shows  that 
the  New  Testament  is  full  of  mistakes. 

If  this  was  the  treatment  accorded  to  the  doctrines  of 
the  Eeformed  Church,  how  did  it  fare  as  an  ecclesiasti- 
cal organization  under  the  protection  and  the  manage- 
ment of  the  State?  The  Church  was  regarded  as  a 
body  which  had  outlived  its  use  as  a  protest  against 
the  superstitions  of  Rome.  Henceforth  it  was  bound  to 
protest  equally  decidedly  against  all  narrow  views,  and 
must  allow  full  liberty  of  investigation.  Ecclesiasticism 
must  be  set  aside  as  a  needless  antiquated  form.  Like 
a  worn-out  garment  it  must  be  cast  out  of  sight.  In 
the  universally  recognized  freedom  of  man  there  is  no 
more  any  occasion  for  a  Church,  or  a  sect  specially  privi- 
leged by  the  State.  Let  the  education  of  the  people  for 
the  future  be  based  upon  a  general  religiosity  and  upon 
the  principles  of  a  universal  toleration. 

As  these  opinions  became  wide-spread,  the  diminu- 
tion of  the  supply  of  the  ministry  was  the  natural  result. 
A  committee  appointed  by  the  Classis  of  Amsterdam  in 
1789,  reported  that  in  the  country  and  its  colonies  there 
were  1650  congregations.  There  were  annually  seventy 
vacancies.  Instead  of  400  licentiates  needed  to  supply 
them,  there  were  only  200  to  be  found  in  all  the  uni- 
versities combined. 

It  is  a  mistaken  idea  that  the  deterioration  which  has 
been  outlined,  was  effected  at  once,  or  that  it  instantly  per- 
vaded the  whole  body  of  the  people.  Down  to  the  period 
when  the  French  revolution-ideas  entered  the  land,  the 
masses  still  revered  the  Bible.  Cats  and  Brakel  were 
favorite  authors   on  religious  topics.     Translations  of 


TRANSITIONAL  PERIOD.  255 

Newton's  Cardipkonia  and  of  Doddridge's  works  were 
muck  read.  Attempts  were  made,  before  and  after  tke 
KeYolution,  to  stem  tke  tide  of  infidelity  which  threat- 
ened on  all  sides.  Men  arose  wko  were  like  beacon- 
lights  sending  their  cheering  rays  into  the  gathering 
gloom.  Lecture-courses  were  founded  in  defence  of  the 
truth.  In  1753  Stolp  founded  such  a  course  by  giving 
10,000  florins,  the  interest  of  which  was  to  be  bestowed 
on  the  person  who  delivered  the  best  essay  on  certain 
given  topics.  In  1788,  Van  der  Hulst,  of  Haarlem,  did 
the  same.  About  that  time,  also,  a  minister  was  appointed 
to  preach  annually  at  Rotterdam  six  sermons  against  the 
innovations  of  the  times.  A  number  of  ministers 
belonging  to  the  Synod  of  South  Holland  founded  an 
association  at  the  Hague  by  which  prizes  were  offered 
for  the  best  discussions  of  most  important  themes.  The 
mention  of  some  of  them  throws  light  upon  the  character 
of  tke  infidelity  against  which  they  were  directed:  1788 
— The  genuineness  of  the  Gospel  of  Matthew;  1796— 
The  indispensableness  of  Christ's  resurrection;  1797 — 
Jesus  Christ,  the  principal  subject  of  Bible-teaching; 
1799 — Tke  histories  of  the  New  Testament  confirmed 
from  the  writings  of  Greek  and  Roman  authors;  1800 — - 
The  reality  of  Christ's  miracles;  1801 — The  difference 
between  the  teachings  of  Christ  and  those  of  his  apostles; 
1807 — The  essentialness  of  the  facts  of  Christianity;  1808 
— The  reality  of  the  raising  of  Lazarus;  1809 — The  cer- 
tainty of  Christ's  resurrection. 

God  who  has  his  Church  under  his  care  preserved 
even  during  the  awful  times  of  the  French  revolution, 
also  in  the  Netherlands,  the  seven  thousand  who  did 
not  bow  the  knee  to  Baal. 

In  this  fourth  and  last  series  we  propose  to  treat  of  the 
following  themes:  Internal  commotions;  Arrogance  of  the 


256    REFORMED   CHURCH  IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

State;  The  situation  just  before  the  revolution;  Sep- 
aration between  the  Church  and  the  State;  The  Church 
in  its  independence;  The  Church  and  the  kingdom; 
The  controversy  quia — quatenus;  The  "  Church  under 
the  Cross;"  Reflections  on  the  past  for  the  future. 


TRANSITIONAL   PERIOD.  25? 


II. 

inteknal  commotions. 

When,  a  short  time  before  the  Revolution,  Walter 
Senserf,  of  Rotterdam,  founded  a  course  of  lectures  on 
Atheism,  Deism,  Heathenism,  Judaism,  and  Mahome- 
tanism,  he  introduced  in  the  terms  of  his  gift  the  con- 
dition, that  in   the   discussion   of    these   themes  there 
should  be  no  allusion  to  the  dissensions  by  which  Chris- 
tians were  alienated  from  each  other.     Of  these  internal 
and   suicidal  conflicts  the   Reformed   Church  had  its 
share.     While  they  had  their  immediate  occasion  in  the 
setting  forth  of  exceedingly  strange  notions,  which  were 
wholly  at  variance  with  the  teachings  of  Scripture  and 
with  the  faith  of  the  Reformed  Church,  they  were  made 
capable  of  exerting  an  influence  toward  the  spread  of 
indifferentism,  in  that  they  who  combated  them  did  not 
always  act  from  the  purest  motives.     The  apparent  zeal 
of  the  latter  too  often  grew  out  of  a  stiff  and  narrow- 
minded  attachment  to  the  letter  of  the  symbols  and  a 
purpose  to  detect  error  where  there  really  was  none. 
Hence  the  conflict  was  begun  in  a  partisan  spirit  rather 
than  in  a  love  of  the  truth.     It  was  conducted  with  bit- 
terness  instead  of  Christian  charity.     The  Church  was 
distracted,  and  the  minds  of  men,  becoming  unsettled, 
were  all  the  more  receptive  of  the  seeds  of  French  infi- 
delity, which  in  the  Netherlands  bore,  and  still  bears, 
dreadful  fruit.     In  nature  the  crystallizing  process  can 
go  forward  only  in  quiet.     Rude  commotions  are  inimi- 


258    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

cal  also  to  the  formation  of  the  Christian  character  and 
the  development  of  the  spiritual  life  of  the  Church.  A 
view  of  some  of  the  debates  by  which  the  cause  of  reli- 
gion at  this  time  was  injured  is  not  without  interest. 

A  discussion  upon  the  theme  whether  a  falsehood 
might  be  uttered  in  time  of  need,  and  whether  God  had 
given  an  example  of  it,  centred  upon  the  person  of  the 
celebrated  preacher  Jacques  Saurin.  In  1728  he  pub- 
lished a  book  in  which  he  expressed  himself  in  such  a 
manner  that  he  was  regarded  as  holding  an  affirmative 
opinion.  He  was  summoned  to  answer  before  a  Walloon 
synod  in  1730.  Disclaiming  the  views  charged  against 
him,  he  appealed  to  his  catechism  of  1722.  When  re- 
quired to  sign  a  statement  that  he  would  teach  nothing 
else  on  that  subject  than  what  was  contained  in  his  cat- 
echism, he  refused  on  the  ground  that  he  would  not  be 
so  bound  by  the  letter.  He  drew  up  another  statement 
of  his  tenets  which  he  could  subscribe.  It  proved  satis- 
factory, and  the  controversy  came  to  an  end. 

In  the  same  year  that  Saurin's  catechism  was  pub- 
lished appeared  a  little  volume  by  Van  Thuynen,  en- 
titled "Short  exposition  of  the  faith  of  the  Reformed." 
The  author  seems  to  have  confounded  the  assurance  of 
faith  with  simple  faith.  They  whose  minds  are  not  free 
from  doubt,  he  taught,  are  without  faith  altogether. 
He  based  his  opinions  on  Lord's  Day  VII  of  the  Hei- 
delberg Catechism.  Some  sustained  him;  others  op- 
posed him.  At  last,  in  1726,  a  certain  visitor  of  the 
sick,  named  Groenewoud,  published  a  book  in  which  he 
attempted  to  unite  both  parties  by  proposing  a  middle 
course.  He  made  a  distinction  between  faith  and  be- 
lieving. The  former  he  stated  to  be  the  soul's  disposi- 
tion to  believe;  the  latter,  that  disposition  in  actual  ex- 
ercise.    The  book  received  an  indirect  commendation 


Transitional  period.  259 

from  the  theological  faculty  of  Leyden,  on  the  ground 
that  it  contained  much  tending  to  edification. 

Seven  years  later  Paulus  Maty  set  forth  a  species  of 
Arianism.  He  taught  that  there  are  indeed  three  dis- 
tinct Persons  in  the  Trinity,  but  that  all  the  Deity  is  in 
the  First  Person,  who,  therefore,  is  the  Father.  By  him, 
before  the  creation  of  the  world,  two  beings  were  pro- 
duced, intelligent  yet  finite,  and  closely  related  to  him 
in  a  union  which  entitles  them  to  the  names  of  Son  and 
Holy  Spirit.  Maty  was  opposed  by  De  la  Chapelle  and 
Van  Driessen.  In  1730  he  was  deposed  from  the  minis- 
try. He  left  the  Reformed  Church  and  joined  the  Re- 
monstrants. 

This  same  indefatigable  champion,  Van  Driessen,  also 
attacked  the  celebrated  Venema  and  Engelhard.  The 
former  held  to  a  duplex  purpose  of  election.  There  is 
a  general  purpose  by  which  God  determined  that  every 
one,  without  distinction,  who  believed  and  repented, 
would  be  saved;  and  also  a  particular  purpose,  by  which 
God  intended  his  grace  for  some,  and  chose  them  to  the 
exercise  of  faith  and  repentance  as  well  as  to  salvation. 
An  effort  appears  to  have  been  made  to  unite  the  Cal- 
vinistic  and  the  Remonstrant  views  on  that  subject.  As 
he  also  differed  from  the  Reformed  Church  on  the  doc- 
trines of  Original  Sin  and  the  Satisfaction  by  Christ,  Van 
Driessen  proposed  to  the  faculty  of  the  University  of 
Groningen,  in  1736,  that,  in  accordance  with  a  resolu- 
tion of  the  Classis,  it  should  be  suggested  to  the  next 
approaching  Provincial  Synod,  that  henceforth,  all  who 
within  the  bounds  of  the  Classes  belonging  to  the  Synod 
should  be  admitted  to  the  ministry,  must  have  certain 
questions  asked  them  relating  to  these  doctrines,  and 
must  solemnly  denounce  the  prevailing  errors  concern- 
ing them.     One  professor  resisted.     The  questions  were 


260    REFORMED   CHURCH  IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

formulated.  The  address  containing  them,  signed  by 
three  professors,  was  forwarded  to  the  political  deputies 
for  their  approval.  The  States,  however,  refused  to  en- 
tertain the  matter. 

In  1734  Engelhard  was  attacked  because  he  favored 
the  Leibnitz- Wolffian  philosophy.  Its  representations 
concerning  the  origin  of  evil,  that  God  had  created,  out 
of  an  infinite  number  of  conceivable  worlds,  one  world 
in  which  the  evil  was  mixed  with  the  good,  Van  Dries- 
sen  strongly  opposed,  as  also  its  tenets  concerning  the 
indivisible  and  universal  principles  of  things,  and  a  pre- 
established  harmony  according  to  which  the  operations 
of  the  spirit  and  the  motions  of  the  body  are  in  perfect 
harmony.  The  University  of  Utrecht  approved  of  this 
philosophy,  so  that  in  1740  Wolff  was  invited  to  a  chair 
in  that  institution. 

In  1741  Peter  Ens,  a  Curator  of  the  academy  at  Har- 
derwyk,  manifested  erroneous  views  concerning  the 
Trinity,  According  to  him,  there  is  but  one  Person, 
the  Supreme  Father.  He  also  went  astray  concerning 
the  Divine  Essence.  God,  he  said,  has  no  knowledge 
from  eternity  of  future  events.  God's  purposes  are 
changeable,  and  so  are  his  acts,  because  His  passions  are 
aroused  by  external  objects.  God's  grace  can  be  resisted, 
so  that  true  believers  can  fall  from  it.  Ens  was  sus- 
pended from  the  communion  by  the  Consistory  of  the 
Church  at  Harder wyk. 

Six  years  later  Bernsau  endeavored  to  bring  reason 
and  revelation  into  agreement,  and  to  produce,  as  a  re- 
sult, what  he  called  "Analogic/,  sive  harmonia  fidei." 
He  claimed  that  well-instructed  reason  is  aided  by  a  su- 
pernatural enlightening  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and,  thus 
illumined,  becomes  the  only  and  the  best  instrument  of 
reaching  a  sure  knowledge  of  theology. 


TRANSITIONAL   PERIOD.  261 

During  the  following  year  a  new  disturbance  grew 
out  of  the  teachings  of  Van  der  Os,  a  minister  at  Zwol. 
He  was  accused  of  Arianism,  Remonstrantism,  and  So- 
cinianism.  He  declared  that  in  the  conception  of  a  suc- 
cession of  correlated  things  pertaining  to  the  renewal  of 
a  soul,  justification  is  posterior  to  faith.  He  claimed 
that  the  generation  of  the  Son  could  not  be  proven  from 
Micah  v.  2,  Ps.  ii.  7,  and  John  v.  26.  The  death  men- 
tioned in  Gen.  iii,,  he  averred,  is  only  that  of  the  body, 
not  spiritual  and  eternal  death.  Only  the  sinner's  per- 
sonal sins,  he  asserted,  constitute  the  ground  of  his  con- 
demnation. The  Consistory  laid  an  interdict  upon  this 
ministry.  Through  the  intervention  of  the  faculty  of 
Leyden,  who  had  prepared  a  paper  which  they  proposed 
for  his  signature,  further  trouble  would  have  been  avert- 
ed, were  it  not  that  the  Classes  of  Zwol  and  the  Consis- 
tories of  Amsterdam,  the  Hague,  Eotterdam,  and 
Utrecht  became  involved  in  the  controversy,  and  that 
Van  der  Os  preached  a  sermon  in  which  he  maintained 
that  the  Scripture  is  the  only  rule  of  faith,  and  that  the 
Dordracene  fathers  did  not  intend  that  their  utterances 
should  remain  unalterable,  but  left,  for  a  period  of  more 
light,  the  improvements  upon  their  statements  which 
might  be  found  necessary.  Although  Van  der  Os  signed 
a  Confession  of  faith  that  was  laid  before  him,  he  refused 
to  step  aside  from  his  opinion  concerning  the  intention 
of  the  framers  of  the  Canons  of  Dort.  He  was  there- 
upon deposed  from  the  ministry.  The  sentence  was  ap- 
proved by  the  Synod  and  the  States  of  Over  Yssel. 

Schortinghuis  was  a  mystic.  He  held  that  man  needs 
a  spiritual  knowledge,  wrhich  he  derives  immediately 
from  God.  It  is  distinct  from  that  which  is  derived 
from  the  Scripture.  Without  the  former,  man  is  not 
capable  of  doing  anything.     The  manner  of  obtaining 


262    REFORMED   CHURCH  IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

it  is  wholly  within  the  spheres  of  the  emotions  and  the 
senses.  The  government  condemned  the  book  in  which 
these  opinions  were  set  forth.  It  nevertheless  had 
many  readers.  Among  these  were  a  number  who  were 
under  the  excitement  following  the  ministry  of  Gerardus 
Kuypers.  This  man,  while  still  a  candidate,  preached 
one  day  in  Amsterdam  for  one  of  the  pastors.  The  ef- 
fect was  very  marked.  His  eloquent  appeals  to  the  feel- 
ings of  the  people  created  a  great  stir.  His  preaching 
at  Jutphaas,  and  afterwards  at  Nykerk,  in  which  places 
he  settled  as  pastor,  had  the  same  result.  Some  persons 
gave  expression  to  the  excitement  under  which  they  la- 
bored, in  loud  shouts,  and  some  even  fell  prostrate  in 
unconsciousness.  The  intelligence  of  these  unusual 
scenes  spread  throughout  the  land.  It  drew  out  diverse 
opinions.  Some  approved,  others  condemned.  The 
Romanists  laughed.  Those  who  did  not  ridicule  pro- 
nounced it  a  work  of  tKe  devil.  There  is  no  doubt  that 
then,  as  in  other  times  and  in  other  places,  persons  were 
present  who  sought  to  impose  by  means  of  affected  evi- 
dences of  a  religious  interest.  In  1750  a  resolution  was 
adopted  and  carried  into  effect,  that  all  those  who  mani- 
fested such  bodily  contortions  should  be  ejected  from 
the  churches.  After  this  the  meetings  became  much 
calmer. 

In  1765,  Gerardus  T.  De  Cock,  minister  at  Harig,  in 
Friesland,  was  accused  of  holding  heretical  opinions. 
He  was  said  to  teach  that  it  was  God's  eternal  purpose 
to  save  all  men;  that  all  men  still  possess  the  divine  im- 
age; that  the  love  which  the  Lord  enjoins  in  John  xv. 
17,  must  be  understood  as  intended  to  be  of  universal 
application,  and  to  be  shown  to  all,  whatever  their  reli- 
gious views  might  be.  De  Cock  denied  that  he  held  the 
third  opinion.      Nevertheless,  the  Classis  was  in  favor 


TRANSITIONAL  PERIOD.  263 

of  disciplining  him.  The  government  interfered,  osten- 
sibly for  the  sake  of  the  peace  of  the  Church.  An  ap- 
peal to  the  Stadtholder  had  no  fruit,  for  the  reason  that 
the  nobles  frustrated  all  the  efforts  of  the  Classis. 

Besides  the  contentions  gathering  around  the  doc- 
trines, there  were  those  in  that  restless  period  which  re- 
lated even  to  the  liturgy.  In  Groningen,  Utrecht,  and 
Monnikendam  there  were  hot  debates  concerning  the 
use  or  the  suppression  of  the  questions  that  occur  in  the 
form  for  the  baptism  of  infants.  The  church  authori- 
ties were  strongly  in  favor  of  their  continued  use.  The 
magistrates  were  not  at  all  disposed  to  concur  in  this 
opinion. 

"Unstable  as  water  thou  shalt  not  excel."  These 
dissensions  weakened  the  Church.  They  prepared  it  to 
yield  when  the  hosts  of  indifferentism  and  infidelity 
came  in  like  a  flood.  Howbeit,  God  has  always  a  few 
who  courageously  uphold  the  banner  of  His  Truth. 


264    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 


III. 

ARROGANCE   OF  THE   STATE. 

Illustrating  the  extent  to  which  the  political  power 
interfered  in  Church  matters,  even  to  within  a  short 
time  of  the  separation  between  the  Church  and  the 
State,  is  the  case  of  Cornelius  Blom,  minister  in  Leeu- 
warden.  The  account  is  interesting  also  for  the  reason 
that,  besides  showing  how  great  were  the  difficulties  in 
the  way  of  the  advocates  of  the  independence  of  the 
Church  in  matters  ecclesiastical,  it  informs  us,  more 
distinctly  than  a  mere  statement  could  do,  of  the  cus- 
toms and  usages  of  the  Church  at  that  time. 

In  the  year  1763  there  was  a  vacancy  in  the  before- 
mentioned  city.  When  the  magistrates,  according  to 
the  law  in  such  a  case,  extended  to  the  Consistory  what 
was  called  the  "hand  opening,"  or  permission  to  nomi- 
nate the  persons  from  whom  a  pastor  was  to  be  selected 
after  the  magisterial  approval  of  such  nominations  had 
been  secured,  they  signified  to  that  body  their  desire 
that  a  Frisian,  of  Cocceian  shade  of  opinion  in  theology, 
might  be  called  to  fill  the  pulpit.  They  were  probably 
urged  to  express  this  desire  by  their  knowledge  of  the 
fact,  of  which  the  Consistory  also  was  aware,  that  it  was 
the  wish  of  the  Princess  Maria  Louisa,  the  widow  of  the 
Stadtholder,  that  the  choice  might  fall  upon  E.  W. 
Schrader,  of  Sneek,  who  was  a  Frisian  by  birth,  a 
Cocceian  in  theology,  and  a  pupil  of  Venema.  Instead 
of  respecting  this  preference,  the  Consistory  submitted 


TRANSITIONAL   PERIOD.  265 

to  the  magistrates,  for  their  approval,  three  names  among 
which  was  not  that  of  Schrader.  The  consequence  was 
that  the  magistrates  took  no  action  upon  them.  The 
Consistory  waited  six  months,  and  then  sent  to  the 
magistrates  a  committee,  consisting  of  a  minister,  an 
elder,  and  a  deacon,  with  the  request  that  the  expected 
approval  might  be  forthcoming.  The  name  of  the  min- 
ister was  Cornelius  Blom. 

On  August  26  the  committee  performed  its  duty. 
Blom  presented  a  manly  address.  "  The  Consistory/' 
he  said,  "is  an  independent  college.  The  request  that 
the  magistrates  would  approve  the  nominations  of  the 
Consistory  is  a  mere  concession.  The  respected  authori- 
ties should  remember  that  they  are  only  the  guardians 
of  the  Church.  The  Church  is  the  child  of  God.  God 
commended  that  child  to  their  protection.  They  must 
guard  it.  They  must  defend  it  against  injury.  They 
were  taught  this  by  the  example  of  Cyrus  and  Darius, 
and  also  by  that  of  Mahomet,  who,  though  they  were 
unbelievers,  were  nevertheless  the  generous  protectors  of 
God's  Church.  So  also  were  Constantine  the  Great, 
Theodorus  the  Younger,  the  Palatine  Frederic  the 
Third,  William  the  First,  Prince  Maurice,  and  others. 
Since  they  were  scarcely  the  shadows  of  these  great 
men,  it  became  them  all  the  more  to  endeavor  to 
imitate  them.  See  to  it  that,  as  regards  your  conduct 
toward  the  Church,  you  may  be  able  to  say  at  some 
time  :  We  have  not  served  any  idols ;  we  have  not  been 
the  slaves  of  men ;  we  love  the  honor  of  God  more  than 
that  of  men." 

The  keynote  of  the  protest  against  political  presump- 
tion, which  is  more  than  implied  in  this  address,  had 
already  been  sounding  for  some  years.  In  1682  W. 
Brakel  had  spoken  against  the  arrogance  of  the  magis- 
28 


266    REFORMED   CHUKCH   IN  THE   NETHERLANDS. 

trates  in  suspending  and  deposing  ministers ;  and  again 
in  1688,  he  had  raised  his  voice  against  the  claim  of  the 
civil  power  in  Rotterdam,  to  approve  or  to  disapprove  a 
call  extended  to  a  minister  by  the  Consistory  of  a  church 
in  that  city.  The  same  line  of  argument  then  pursued 
by  Brakel,  was  followed  by  Blom  in  this  case. 

The  magistrates  of  Leeuwarden  praised  the  address 
and  commended  the  Consistory  for  their  zeal  in  behalf 
of  the  welfare  of  the  Church.  They  promised  that  the 
desired  approval  of  the  nominations  should  no  longer  be 
withheld. 

When  in  the  evening  of  the  same  day  Blom  reported 
to  the  Consistory,  among  whose  elders  were  three  of  the 
magistrates,  he  read  to  that  body  the  address  which  he 
had  presented.  It  was  received  with  favor  and  ordered 
placed  upon  the  minutes.  This  action  becoming  known 
to  the  public,  and  a  desire  to  read  the  address  spreading 
among  the  citizens,  Blom  published  it.  But  now  the 
tide  of  favor  turned.  The  author  was  decried  as  a  bold 
opponent  of  the  magistrates.  Men  compared  him  to 
Donatus.  The  magistrates  took  a  different  view  of  the 
case,  and  considered  themselves  to  have  been  grievously 
wronged.  They  imposed  a  heavy  fine  upon  the  writer 
and  the  printer  of  the  address. 

Two  days  after  was  Bloom's  regular  turn  to  officiate 
in  the  church.  He  selected  the  text  Eccl.  iii.  16  :  "  And 
moreover  I  saw  under  the  sun  the  place  of  judgment 
that  wickedness  was  there ;  and  the  place  of  righteous- 
ness that  iniquity  was  there."  The  large  audience  pres- 
ent, imagining  that  the  preacher  was  about  to  launch 
out  against  the  government,  wondered  at  his  temerity 
and  feared  the  consequence  for  him.  Blom,  however, 
made  no  personal  allusions,  but  confined  himself  to  a 
general  application. 


TRANSITIONAL   PERIOD.  267 

On  the  Tuesday  following  lie  was  summoned  before 
the  magistrates.  Upon  the  plea  of  his  having  numerous 
engagements  as  a  minister  of  Jesus  Christ,  he  refused  to 
aj>pear.  He  trusted  that,  as  the  magistrates  were  in 
"the  place  of  righteousness,"  they  would  excuse  him. 
In  the  evening,  however,  he  obeyed.  Very  dignified 
was  his  mien  as  he  walked  toward  the  hall  where  the 
magistrates  were  in  session.  Under  his  arm  he  carried 
a  folio  Bible.  Throngs  of  people  surrounded  him.  One 
man  even  grasped  his  hand.  "  Only  be  quiet,"  he  ex- 
claimed, "  God  will  take  care  of  his  Church  and  of  me." 
Having  appeared  before  the  magistrates,  he  began  his 
defense.  He  was  silenced.  The  resolution  imposing 
the  fine  was  read  to  him,  and  a  copy  placed  in  his  hands. 
He  then  declared  that  he  would  not  submit  to  it  except 
by  consent  of  the  Consistory  by  whom  he  had  been 
deputed. 

At  eight  o'clock  the  great  Consistory  met.  Blom 
related  what  had  occurred  and  read  the  resolution. 
Sympathy  was  expressed,  the  address  was  once  more 
acknowledged,  and  a  resolution  adopted  to  appeal  to  a 
higher  tribunal.  In  this  action,  however,  the  oldest 
minister  present  and  one  of  the  magisterial  elders  did 
not  concur.  This  was  the  first  indication  that  Blom's 
position  would  soon  prove  to  be  untenable,  not  through 
the  weakness  of  his  cause,  but  the  faithlessness  of  his 
friends.  But  as  yet  he  was  supported.  A  paper  defend- 
ing his  address,  accompanied  by  a  petition  from  himself, 
was  forwarded  to  the  States  of  Friesland  as  to  the  high- 
est court.  It  was  claimed  in  these  documents  that  the 
entire  government  of  the  Church,  hence  also  the  calling 
of  ministers,  pertains  to  Consistories,  Classes,  and  Synods; 
that  all  other  powers,  among  which  the  political,  are 
excluded  from  the  exercise  of  authority  in  the  Church ; 


268    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

that  the  ecclesiastical  power  is  not  responsible  in  respect 
to  anything  whatsoever,  to  any  one  in  the  world,  but 
alone  to  God  and  Christ;  that  the  authorities  in  the 
Church  have  God.  only  for  their  Judge,  and  that,  in 
virtue  of  their  position,  they  are  above  any  worldly 
authority.  The  papers  sent  to  the  States,  moreover, 
expressed  the  opinion  that  an  unjust  sentence  had  been 
pronounced  against  Blom.  As  soon  as  these  documents 
had  been  forwarded,  Blom,  who  had  composed  them, 
but  had  submitted  them  to  only  a  few  members  of  the 
committee  to  whom  this  matter  had  been  entrusted, 
published  them.  Ten  members  of  the  great  Consistory 
then  inserted  in  the  newspaper  a  card  stating  that  they 
did  not  adopt  these  opinions,  and  that  they  withdrew 
their  support  from  Blom.  The  clouds  over  the  cham- 
pion for  the  rights  of  the  Church  began  to  thicken. 

The  magistrates  of  the  city,  on  the  other  hand,  had 
also  sent  in  a  petition.  They  begged  the  States  to  sustain 
the  civil  power  in  respect  to  church  matters.  Three 
charges  were  also  preferred  against  Blom,  specifying  his 
rebellious  conduct,  his  holding  extravagant  opinions  on 
the  subject  of  church  prerogatives,  and  his  having  in- 
sulted the  magistrates. 

On  January  13,  1764,  the  States  responded.  The 
magistrates  were  sustained.  Blom  was  suspended  from 
his  ministry  for  six  weeks,  with  loss  of  salary  during 
that  time. 

It  is  almost  incredible  that  shortly  afterwards  the 
Classis  of  Leeu warden  took  action,  "disapproving,  ab- 
horring, and  decidedly  rejecting"  the  position  of  Blom 
as  denned  in  his  paper  to  the  States.  The  Classis 
desired  to  crush  out  these  symptoms  of  anti-Erastianism. 
It  was  led  in  this  course  by  Petrus  Wiger,  minister  at 
Oosthem,  who  offered  a  paper  which  was  adopted.     He 


TRANSITIONAL   PERIOD.  269 

advocated  the  following  points  :  The  civil  power  cannot 
be  excluded  from  the  government  of  the  Church;  it  has 
the  right,  as  the  case  may  be,  to  confirm  by  its  authority 
the  ecclesiastical  proceedings,  or  to  disapprove  them,  for 
*  the  best  interests  of  the  Church ;  it  may  prescribe  laws 
with  reference  to  ecclesiastical  persons  and  matters  for 
the  promotion  of  order  in  the  Church ;  it  has  the 
original  right  to  elect,  either  by  itself  or  by  a  suitable 
delegate,  a  fit  person  for  the  office  of  the  ministry  in 
any  place. 

In  so  far  as  the  supply  of  the  vacant  pulpit  at  Leeu- 
warden  is  concerned,  there  was  a  compromise.  The 
magistrates  gave  up  Schrader,  and  the  Consistory  with- 
drew the  first  set  of  nominations.  Three  other  minis- 
ters had  been  nominated  by  the  Consistory  in  the 
preceding  December  and  approved  by  the  magistrates. 
One  of  these  received  the  call. 

The  whole  affair  seems  to  have  been  to  the  credit  of 
Blom,  and  to  the  discredit  of  the  men  who  failed  in 
standing  by  their  convictions,  and  who  left  the  advocate 
of  the  independence  of  the  Church  against  the  arrogance 
of  the  State  in  the  lurch  as  soon  as  they  feared  that 
their  course  in  sustaining  him  would  bring  them  to 
grief. 


270    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 


IV. 

THE   SITUATION  JUST  BEFORE   THE   REVOLUTION. 

In  the  course  of  the  twenty-five  years  that  preceded 
the  great  political  and  ecclesiastical  turning  of  1795, 
the  people  of  the  Netherlands  became  divided,  in  respect 
to  the  State,  into  three  parties,  and  in  respect  to  the 
Church,  into  two.  The  political  divisions  were  com- 
posed: the  first,  of  those  who  favored  the  Prince  of 
Orange  and  the  established  authority  of  the  Stadtholder; 
the  second,  of  the  Aristocrats  who,  in  the  interest  of  the 
magistracy,  wished  to  be  relieved  of  the  pressure  of  the 
Stadtholderate;  the  third,  of  democrats  who  desired  a 
popular  government  upon  the  American  model.  These 
last  were  of  the  violent  and  of  the  mild  types.  The 
ecclesiastical  divisions  were  composed:  the  first,  of  those 
who  remained  attached  to  the  old  forms  of  theology,  to 
the  long-established  ecclesiastical  usages,  and  to  the 
time-honored  union  between  the  Church  and  the  State. 
They  were  the  conservatives,  were  greatly  in  the  mi- 
nority, and  became  entirely  swallowed  up  in  the  whirl- 
pool the  power  of  whose  suction  they  soon  found  them- 
selves utterly  unable  to  resist.  The  second  division  was 
composed  of  the  advocates  of  liberty  in  religion  and  of  a 
universal  tolerance.  They  objected  to  the  use  that  was 
made  of  the  Bible  as  it  was  searched  for  texts  to  uphold 
dogmas  that  had  already  been  framed.  They  would 
have  it  examined  with  an  impartial  mind  for  the  dis- 
covery of  the  truth  it  contains.      Let  the  bonds  of  scho- 


TRANSITIONAL   PERIOD.  271 

lasticism,  said  they,  which  in  earlier  days  held  the  spirit 
of  interpretation  rigidly  confined,  be  relaxed.  They 
aimed  at  a  pure  Biblical  culture,  as  they  represented  it, 
and,  to  the  restoration  of  the  Apostolic  mode  of  teaching, 
the  design  of  which  was  rather  the  ingathering  of  souls 
into  the  Kingdom  than  the  upholding  of  certain  reli- 
gious symbols  of  human  construction.  The  union  be- 
tween the  Church  and  the  State  was  particularly  objec- 
tionable to  them.  They  regarded  it  as  a  confusion 
which,  the  sooner  it  came  to  an  end,  the  better.  Uni- 
versal toleration  and  equality  were  to  them  conditions 
of  an  enlightened  society.  In  their  estimation  morality 
was  a  good  thing,  but  the  doctrinal  part  of  religion, 
which  had  given  occasion  for  so  much  strife,  was  super- 
fluous and  only  fostered  a  spirit  of  bigotry.  They  per- 
ceived the  impossibility  of  at  once  abolishing  the  hoary 
Standards  of  the  Church  behind  which  intolerance  lay 
entrenched.  Reform  the  Church  within  the  Church, 
they  cried;  move  forward  gently — but  triumph  in  the 
end. 

These  parties  in  the  Church  and  the  State  were  not, 
as  to  the  persons  who  composed  them,  numerically  dis- 
tinct organizations.  The  sentiments  which  they  repre- 
sented, coming  in  from  abroad,  and  finding  the  condi- 
tion of  the  national  mind  favorable  for  their  reception 
and  growth,  had  also  been  taken  up  by  degrees.  The 
process  of  their  incorporation  with  the  general  thought, 
and  of  their  formation  into  partisan  principles,  had 
been  gradual.  Nor  did  the  political  differences  of  opin- 
ion, and,  on  the  other  hand,  the  ecclesiastical,  remain, 
respectively,  within  their  own  exclusive  domains.  Par- 
ties in  the  State  affiliated  with  congenial  parties  in  the 
Church.  Thus  the  patriots,  as  the  advocates  of  politi- 
cal independence  were  fond  of  styling  themselves,  found 


272    EEFOEMED   CHUECH  IN  THE  NETHEELANDS. 

their  allies  among  those  who  in  the  Church  desired  to 
throw  off  all  restraint,  whether,  as  regards  the  faith, 
arising  from  the  Standards,  or,  as  regards  the  polity,  from 
the  civil  government.  Desiring  to  reorganize  the  State 
upon  republican  principles,  they  had  the  sympathy  of 
those  in  the  Church  who  desired  that  the  house  of  God 
should  be  similarly  independent.  They  hated  the 
Prince  of  Orange  no  worse  than  their  ecclesiastical  as- 
sociates disliked  the  authoritative  masters  of  Biblical  in- 
terpretation. The  Orange-men,  on  the  other  hand,  as 
their  opponents  came  to  be  called,  had  their  adherents 
also  in  the  Church. 

It  is  no  wonder  that  both  parties  sought  to  arouse  the 
people  at  large,  each  to  his  own  views,  by  means  of  all 
kinds  of  publications.  In  these  the  discussions  of  the 
points  at  issue  were  frequently  exceedingly  bitter.  In- 
temperate expressions  were  used,  as  for  instance,  when 
the  Princes  of  Orange  were  called  "  arch-oppressors  of 
Batavian  liberty."  In  another  pamphlet  a  regent,  a 
prince,  a  stadtholder,  or  any  magistrate,  whoever  he 
might  be,  was  said  to  be  less  than  the  whole  people,  and 
that  the  nation  as  one  man  must  rise  up  against  the 
Stadtholder.  The  bare  proposition  has  certainly  more 
of  an  insurrectionary  than  a  logical  aspect.  Nor  is  it 
surprising  that,  blended  together  as  were  the  political 
malcontents  and  those  whom  ambition  made  restive  in 
the  Church,  the  signs  of  a  revolutionary  discord  should 
appear  in  the  pulpits  and  in  church  meetings. 

The  first  outburst  of  this  spirit  at  an  ecclesiastical 
assembly,  was  in  1783,  at  the  session  of  the  Classis  of 
Dokkurn  in  Friesland.  It  was  an  attempt  to  drop, 
from  the  Classical  proceedings,  a  lemma  relating  to 
the  recognition  of  the  highest  civil  authority  in  the 
land.     In  1766  the  General  Synod   had  resolved  that 


TRANSITIONAL   PERIOD.  273 

whenever  the  Stadtholder  should  honor  it  with  his 
presence,  it  should  take  an  action,  congratulating  him 
upon  his  investiture  with  his  high  office,  and  commend- 
ing to  his  care  the  interests  of  the  Church.  Hence 
a  lemma  was  introduced  entitled,  "Paying  respect 
to  His  Illustrious  Highness."  Eight  years  later  the 
name  of  the  lemma  was  changed  into  "  Orange-Nas- 
sau/' and  under  it  this  form  became  customary,  "All 
Correspondents,  Deputies  and  Classes  rejoice  in  the 
prosperity  of  this  Illustrious  House  and  desire  its  per- 
manent welfare." 

When  the  Classis  of  Dokkum  attacked  this  lemma  in 
1783,  it 'started  a  great  commotion.  It  based  its  protest 
against  it  upon  its  illegality,  because  it  had  been  intro- 
duced into  Synodical  proceedings  without  its  previously 
having  been  submitted  to  the  Classes;  and  also,  because 
it  only  honored  the  Stadtholder  and  made  no  mention 
of  the  States  who  were  his  superiors.  It  was  proposed 
therefore,  that  the  lemma  should  be  changed  into  "  The 
States  of  Friesland  and  the  Prince  Stadtholder."  When 
the  matter  came  before  the  Synod  of  that  year,  the  po- 
litical deputies  declared  that,  according  to  a  resolution 
of  the  States,  the  proposition  of  the  Classis  of  Dokkum 
could  not  be  discussed.  The  Classis  thereupon  informed 
the  Synod  that  it  had  dropped  the  lemma  from  its 
schedule  of  proceedings.  When  this  information 
reached  the  Synod,  the  deputies  forbade  the  reading  of 
it,  and  ordered  all  Classes  to  refrain  from  such  strifes 
about  words.  The  Classis  then  appealed  to  the  States 
themselves,  requesting  that  the  deputies  might  be 
directed  to  permit  the  Synod  to  discuss  the  lemma.  The 
result  was  that  the  States  consented,  and  announced  to 
the  Synod  that  they  would  be  pleased  to  have  the  lemma 
entitled:  "  Prayer  for  the  grace  and  the  blessing  of  the 


274    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

Lord,  upon  the  States  of  Friesland,  His  Highness  the 
Stadtholder,  the  family  of  his  Highness,  and  upon 
all  colleges."  The  lemma  was  adopted  by  the  Synod  of 
1784  ad  referendum.  In  1785  it  was  approved  by  the 
different  Classes.  This  was  ten  years  before  the  separa- 
tion between  the  Church  and  the  State. 

These  events  evidently  brought  about  that  ministers 
henceforth  openly  took  sides  in  their  pulpits.  Accord- 
ing as  one  party,  or  the  other,  was  at  the  head,  the  ad- 
herents of  the  opposite  party  suffered.  Bulthuis,  the 
minister  at  Sneek,  was  an  Orange-man.  The  patriots 
punished  him  with  a  fine  of  500  florins.  The  offense  of 
which  he  was  convicted  was  that  "  he  had  expressed 
himself,  both  in  his  sermons  and  in  his  prayers,  in  a 
manner  calculated  to  inform  the  congregation  of  his  po- 
litical opinions;  and  that  with  the  same  intent,  he  had  per- 
verted several  texts  of  the  Bible,  instead  of  behaving  as 
the  mouthpiece  of  the  people  in  the  presence  of  God." 
When  in  1787  the  Orange  party  temporily  gained  the 
upper  hand,  the  fine  was  remitted,  and  many  of  the  pa- 
triot ministers  were  made  to  feel  the  change. 

The  seeds  of  infidelity  which  were  carried  over  into 
the  Netherlands  from  France,  found  a  ready  soil  there. 
The  seductive  raillery  of  Voltaire  and  the  doubting 
speculations  of  Rousseau  were  greedily  welcomed.  The 
hospitality  of  the  land  was  abused  by  the  freethinkers 
of  all  types,  who  made  it  their  home  and  published  there 
the  books  which  they  could  not  print  in  France,  Ger- 
many, or  England.  And  what  was  the  secret  spirit 
which,  notwithstanding  a  seeming  external  reverence  for 
the  Church,  pervaded  the  community?  Bahrdt  relates 
that  in  1777  he  was  present  at  one  of  the  weekly  Friday- 
evening  meetings  of  a  club  of  fifty  members,  associated 
for  the  ostensible  purpose  of  considering  questions  of 


TRANSITIONAL   PERIOD.  275 

philosophy  and  science.  As  he  entered,  Lafontaine,  a 
lawyer,  seventy  years  old,  addressed  him,  "  Tell  us,  are 
there  still  people  in  your  country  who  believe  in  the  Tri- 
unity?"  The  inquiry  gave  occasion  for  the  utterance  of 
all  sorts  of  satires  against  the  faith  of  the  Church  and 
the  tyranny  of  priestcraft.  Everywhere  they  who  laid 
claims  to  civilization  and  enlightenment,  attempted  to 
to  embody  their  peculiar  ideas  in  a  corresponding  prac- 
tice. Saturated  with  the  spirit  of  the  French  philoso- 
phy of  these  terrible  times;  dazzled  by  the  splendor 
of  the  promises  offered  by  the  high-sounding  sys- 
tem of  liberty,  fraternity  and  equality;  imagining  that 
they  had  the  power  of  so  regulating  and  limiting  the 
application  of  these  ideas  that  the  best  interests  of  the 
people  might  bo  promoted  by  them;  they  who  attempted 
to  shape  and  control  public  opinion,  were  at  rivalry 
among  themselves  as  to  who  should  the  most  loudly 
praise,  and  the  soonest  adopt,  the  theories  the  develop- 
ment of  which  to  a  fearful  issue  proved  their  own  over- 
throw. 

In  1793  a  war  began  between  the  Netherlands  and 
France.  It  lasted  two  years.  At  the  end  of  it  the 
march  toward  the  Low  Countries,  of  French  ideas,  was 
followed  by  the  march  thither  of  French  soldiers,  and 
the  planting  within  the  provinces  of  the  tricolor  flag. 


276    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 


V. 

THE   STATE   DIVORCED   FKOM  THE   CHURCH. 

The  winter  of  1794-5  was  unusually  severe.  Consid- 
erable streams,  and  even  rivers  and  estuaries, were  covered 
with  a  solid  crust  of  ice.  A  firm  path  was  provided  for 
the  victorious  French  soldiers,  over  which  they  marched 
into  the  Netherlands.  They  were  welcomed  as  brothers 
and  as  the  saviours  of  the  country.  Shouts  of  joy  rent 
the  air;  feasts  were  spread ;  liberty-poles,  decorated  with 
tricolor  ribbons,  were  erected;  tricolor  flags  were  flung 
to  the  breeze;  processions  filled  the  streets;  orators  cele- 
brated the  glorious  events;  citizens  and  citizenesses  ex- 
changed congratulations.  The  anticipated  revolution 
became  a  fact.  The  Prince  Stadtholder  and  all  his  family 
departed  for  England  on  Jan.  18,  1795,  and  the  States 
were  dissolved.  The  principles  of  absolutism — "Je 
c7*ois  un  Etre  Supreme — and  of  liberalism — "  La  loi  est 
atliee" — had  reached  their  development.  The  pro- 
visional representatives  of  the  people  met  on  Jan.  25. 
They  decided  that  the  preference  of  one  ecclesiastical 
association  above  another  was  an  injustice.  They  issued 
a  manifesto  containing  these  two  propositions:  1.  Every 
person  has  the  right  to  worship  God  in  accordance  with 
his  own  wishes  in  the  matter,  without  coercion;  2. 
Since  all  men  are  equal,  all  are  eligible  to  any  office  or 
service,  without  needing  any  qualifications  therefor 
other  than  morality  and  capacity. 

On  the  last  day  of  this  same  month  there  was  a  pro- 
clamation at  the  Hague  of  the  recognition  of  the  natural 


TRANSITIONAL   PERIOD.  277 

rights  of  every  man.  Liberty  in  religion  was  loudly 
called  for.  The  dissolution  of  the  relation  between  the 
State  and  an  Established  Church,  which,  it  was  said, 
had  been  the  source  of  innumerable  evils,  was  urgently 
demanded.  In  respect  to  matters  of  religion  the  revolu- 
tion effected  an  entire  change  in  the  condition  of  the 
country.  The  conceptions  formed  by  the  triumphant 
party  concerning  liberty,  equality  and  fraternity,  in- 
volved an  abolition  of  all  the  privileges  which  the  Ke- 
formed  Church  had  enjoyed  as  the  recognized  Church 
of  the  land.  The  proclamation  issued  by  the  assembly 
of  the  provisional  representatives  of  Friesland,  con- 
vened on  Feb.  21,  set  forth  the  ideas  embodied  in  the 
act  of  separating  the  Church  from  the  State,  in  the  least 
objectionable  form.  "  Taking  nothing  to  heart  so 
much,"  said  they,  "as  the  promotion  of  the  weightiest 
and  the  dearest  interests  of  the  Frisian  people  which 
were  entrusted  to  us,  and  the  maintenance  of  the  noblest 
rights  of  the  man  and  the  citizen,  we  hereby  solemnly 
declare  that  we  will  support  every  one,  whomsoever,  in 
the  unrestrained  liberty  of  his  conscience  and  in  the  un- 
disturbed exercise  of  his  religion,  without  permitting 
any  coercion  or  hindrance;  provided,  however,  that  no 
one  shall  be  allowed  either  to  abuse  this  inalienable  right 
of  every  rational  creature,  or  to  hurt  his  fellow-man; 
much  less  that  any  should  be  suffered,  in  the  guise  of 
this  sacred  freedom,  to  kindle  the  fires  of  strife,  division, 
and  rebellion,  whereby  the  interests  of  the  country  and 
of  liberty  are  jeopardized.  The  provisional  representa- 
tives of  the  Frisian  people  shall  regard  and  treat  all 
teachers  and  others,  of  whatsoever  religion,  who  may 
become  guilty  of  this,  as  the  enemies  of  their  country 
and  the  disturbers  of  the  peace  and  security  the  strict 
preservation  of  which  they  take  to  heart  so  much." 
24 


278    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

The  independence  of  what  was  called  the  Batavian  re- 
public was  acknowledged  by  the  French  on  April  26. 
This  was  not  done  gratuitously.  Flanders,  Limburg, 
Venlo,  and  Maastricht  were  ceded  to  France.  Garrisons 
were  placed  in  several  cities,  and  the  land  was  mulcted 
in  the  sum  of  1,000,000  francs. 

The  National  Assembly  met  at  the  Hague  on  March 
1,  1796,  in  the  palace  formerly  occupied  by  the  Stadt- 
holder.  It  was  a  meeting  of  great  importance.  The 
independent  sovereignty  of  the  several  provinces  was 
absorbed  in  the  unification  of  the  country.  Of  the  one 
hundred  and  twenty-four  deputies  who  constituted  the 
assembly,  ninety  were  present.  They  were  seated  at 
four  long  tables  which  ran  the  length  of  the  apartment, 
and  were  covered  with  green  cloth.  A  large,  elaborate- 
ly carved  armchair  had  been  placed  for  the  president. 
At  the  right  of  it  was  a  rostrum  for  the  orators.  Pri- 
vate boxes,  destined  for  the  foreign  ambassadors,  were 
at  the  opposite  end  of  the  hall.  The  galleries  at  the 
sides  were  reserved  for  the  public. 

After  the  States-General  had  formally  resigned  the 
government  into  the  hands  of  the  National  Assembly, 
it  proceeded  to  the  election  of  a  President.  Citizen 
Peter  Paulus  was  almost  unanimously  elected.  Eighty 
of  the  ninety  votes  were  cast  for  him.  Arrayed  in  a 
tricolor  sash,  he  was  solemnly  conducted  to  the  chair. 
"  In  the  name  of  the  people,"  said  he,  "  I  declare  this 
Assembly  to  be  the  representative  body  of  the  Nether- 
lands." Great  applause,  taken  up  by  the  crowd  outside, 
followed  the  utterance  of  this  sentence.  Trumpets 
sounded  and  cannons  were  fired. 

By  this  convention  a  system  of  civil  regulations  was 
projected,  according  to  which  the  Church  was  separated 
from  the  State.     No  special  benefit,  it  was  declared, 


TRANSITIONAL   PERIOD.  279 

could  accrue  from  the  profession  of  any  particular  re- 
ligion. It  was  announced  that  all  associations,  estab- 
lished in  the  interest  of  religion,  stood  before  the  law 
upon  the  same  level. 

The  shock  given  by  this  edict  to  the  politico-ecclesi- 
astical establishment  that  had  stood  for  more  than  two 
hundred  years,  was  so  severe,  that  it  is  not  surprising 
that  for  some  time  it  was  not  understood  what  disposi- 
tion should  be  made  of  the  matters  which  it  was  easy  to 
foresee  would  instantly  present  themselves  for  adjust- 
ment. In  regard  to  the  best  treatment  to  be  accorded 
to  the  questions  which  came  up  under  the  new  order, 
the  provinces  were  at  first  not  agreed  among  themselves. 
In  Utrecht  the  Provisional  Representatives  appointed  a 
committee  to  devise  a  plan  of  equality  for  all  the  de- 
nominations in  that  province.  The  committee  reported 
on  June  23,  1796.  The  , measure  was  resisted  by  dele- 
gates from  several  Classes  of  the  Reformed  Church,  who 
sought  to  maintain  its  rights  and  endeavored  to  point 
out  the  injustice  of  its  being  put  on  the  same  footing 
with  other  denominations.  In  Holland  the  Representa- 
tives of  the  people  required  of  all  teachers  of  religion, 
a  solemn  declaration  that  they  would  submit  to  the  form 
of  government  which,  based  upon  the  sovereignty  of  the 
people,  then  existed,  or  might  thereafter  exist,  and  that 
they  would  by  no  means  aid  in  the  restoration  of  the 
aristocratic  government  of  the  Stadtholder  which  had 
been  set  aside.  This  requisition  was  made  on  June  29, 
1796.  Obedience  was  not  rendered  in  general.  Many 
protested.  Fifteen  ministers  of  Amsterdam  boldly  re- 
fused to  conform.  They  were  punished  by  being  sus- 
pended from  the  ministry. 

Two  months  afterward  the  abolition  of  the  former 
privileges   of  the  Reformed  Church  was  proclaimed.  It 


280    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

was  resolved,  first,  that  the  annihilation  of  the  old  sys- 
tem of  a  reigning  and  a  privileged  Church  necessarily 
springs  from  the  recognition  of  the  man  and  the  citizen, 
and  is  a  consequence  of  the  adoption  of  the  fundamental 
principles  of  liberty,  equality,  and  fraternity;  second, 
that  there  shall  be  no  more  a  ruling  or  privileged  Church, 
and  that  all  decrees  or  resolutions  which  originated  in 
the  old  union  between  the  Church  and  the  State  were 
made  null  and  void. 

As  a  natural  result  of  this  an  interdict  was  placed 
upon  the  wearing  of  a  distinctive  ministerial  dress,  the 
holding  of  religious  services  outside  of  the  buildings  set 
apart  for  the  purpose,  the  tolling  of  bells,  or  anything 
whatsoever  which,  practiced  by  one  religious  association 
to  the  exclusion  of  another,  was  in  conflict  with  the 
boasted  equality.  It  was  certainly  out  of  the  question 
also,  to  make  a  show  of  this  equality  by  requiring  all  to 
practice  these  things.  The  contribution  of  money  in 
behalf  of  ministers,  professors,  and  other  officials  of  the 
formerly  recognized  Church,  was  no  more  demanded. 
The  edicts  once  issued  in  regard  to  the  Sabbath  were  no 
longer  operative.  The  expenses  of  the  Reformed  Church 
were  no  longer  paid  from  the  general  treasury.  All  gov- 
ernmental supervision  over  the  calling  of  ministers  and 
Synodical  proceedings  ceased. 

In  April  1797,  some  of  the  ministers  of  the  Reformed 
Church  in  the  several  provinces,  met  in  committee  to 
devise  means  to  counteract  any  statutes,  injurious  to  the 
interests  of  the  Church,  that  might  be  framed  by  the 
Assembly.  They  prepared  a  petition,  asking  for  the  sup- 
port of  the  Assembly  in  behalf  of  the  first  day  of  the  week, 
that  it  might  be  retained  as  a  day  of  public  worship; 
also,  for  such  a  disposal  of  the  church  buildings,  that 
the   Reformed  might   nowhere  be   placed  in  distress; 


TRANSITIONAL   PERIOD.  281 

and  for  the  continued  payment  of  the  salaries  of  min- 
isters, emeriti,  and  the  widows  of  deceased  pastors. 

Thus  the  union  between  the  Church  and  the  State 
which,  as  some  members  of  the  National  Assembly  said, 
had  cost  a  million  lives,  was  effected.  The  Reformed 
Church  was  now  thrown  upon  her  own  resources.  Pro- 
testantism was  once  more  face  to  face  with  Roman  Ca- 
tholicism. The  latter  was  at  the  time  by  no  means  a 
feeble  power  in  the  land.  In  1701  already,  there  were 
320,000  members  with  460  priests. 

And  what  was  the  state  of  religion  while  these  events 
of  such  momentous  interest,  politically  and  ecclesiasti- 
cally, were  in  progress?  On  Dec.  31,  1800,  the  preacher 
of  the  day,  in  the  Cathedral  of  Utrecht,  exclaimed:  "  A 
Satanic,  loose,  and  wanton  spirit,  a  spirit  of  all  that  is 
horrible,  has  broken  out  in  the  Netherlands.  It  has  spread 
everywhere  and  polluted  all  ranks  and  conditions  of  men. 
In  its  path  are  the  country,  the  pure  worship  of  the  divine 
Jesus,  our  beautiful  doctrines  of  faith  and  morals,  and 
our  Church.  The  number  of  sincere  professors  of  re- 
ligion is  decreasing.  Many  young  people — alas!  have 
they  not  an  example  in  those  who  are  of  mature  age? — 
regard  themselves  as  persons  of  genius,  and  count  it  an 
honor  to  ridicule  the  Bible  and  to  mock  at  religion. 
Everything  that  is  holy  and  worthy  of  respect  they 
trample  under  foot.  They  treat  ministers  as  outcasts 
and  as  the  pests  of  society,  simply  because  they  are  min- 
isters. They  say  that  the  name  Christian  may  be  given 
to  stupid  people,  but  that  it  is  a  term  of  reproach  to 
those  who  are  enlightened.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  ob- 
serve that  the  conduct  of  those  who  exhibit  this  spirit  is 
extremely  immoral." 

Still,  for  all  that  this  corruption  was  so  general,  there 
were  men  of  position  and  culture  who  endeavored  to 
stem  the  tide  of  evil  and  to  uphold  the  cause  of  unde- 
nted religion. 


282    REFORMED   CHUECH   IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 


VI. 

THE   CHUKCH   DURING   ITS   INDEPENDENCE. 

The  twenty  years  that  followed  the  revolution,  were 
years  of  disaster  for  the  Netherlands.  The  adoption  of 
the  French  ideas  was  far  from  bringing  them  the  pros- 
perity which  they  had  anticipated.  They  were  torn 
asunder  by  discord.  The  scourge  of  war  came  upon 
them.  Their  ships  were  swept  from  the  ocean.  Some 
of  their  colonial  possessions  were  wrested  from  them. 
Even  their  nationality  for  a  time  became  merged  in 
that  of  the  rapacious  conquerer. 

The  religious  aspect  of  the  country  was  most  discour- 
aging. All  forms  of  doctrine  were  discarded.  The 
Church  was  regarded  as  a  mere  human  association.  A 
universal  Christendom  was  aimed  at.  Distinctive  dog- 
mas were  avoided  in  the  schools.  If  these  must  be 
taught,  it  was  said,  let  them  be  set  forth  by  each  denom- 
ination only  within  its  own  churches.  The  writings 
of  Paine  and  Priestley,  which  had  been  translated  into 
Dutch,  were  greedily  read  by  the  people. 

As  a  result  of  all  this  the  standard  of  morality  in  the 
community  was  not  high.  A  writer  in  a  Sunday  paper  of 
the  period,  said  that  the  morals  of  the  people  were  more 
corrupt  than  ever,  and  that  the  national  character  had  be 
come  depraved.  He  pointed  at  the  luxury  and  the  laxity 
that  affected  all  classes  of  society.  He  bewailed  the  dis- 
regard "of  covenant  faith,  the  increasing  violation  of  the 


TRANSITIONAL   PERIOD.  283 

laws  of  modesty,  and  the  painful  desire  for  the  new  and 
the  strange  that  seemed  to  possess  every  mind. 

In  the  face  of  this  general  corruption  the  Reformed 
Church  was  wholly  impotent.  She  lost  her  power  for 
good,  not  because  she  had  become  separated  from  the 
State,  but  because  she  was  falling  away  from  the  pure 
faith.  The  ministers  were  lukewarm.  The  fundamental 
doctrines  of  the  Gospel  were  ignored.  Peace  reigned, 
but  it  was  the  immobility,  the  inertia,  that  portends 
death. 

The  experience  of  the  Church  during  the  time  of  its 
independence  from  the  State,  was  evolved  in  four  distinct 
political  eras:  the  first,  while  the  National  Assembly 
constituted  the  government ;  the  second,  while  a  pen- 
sionary of  French  appointment  was  at  the  head  of 
affairs ;  the  third,  while  Louis  Napoleon  was  on  the 
throne;  and  the  fourth,  while  the  incorporation  of  the 
Netherlands  with  the  French  empire  lasted. 

The  second  National  Convention  met  on  Sept.  1, 
1797.  One  half  of  its  members  had  been  the  members 
of  the  first  Convention.  It  framed  a  number  of  regula- 
tions which  were  submitted  to  the  people  and  received 
their  approval.     They  were  the  following: 

1.  Each  citizen  has  the  liberty  to  worship  God  accord- 
ing to  the  dictates  of  his  conscience. 

2.  No  civil  benefit  or  advantage  attaches  to  the  pro- 
fession of  any  particular  form  of  religion. 

3.  Every  religious  association  must  care  for  its  own 
ordinances,  ministers,  and  benevolent  institutions. 

4.  Each  religious  association  shall  hold  its  services  in 
its  own  edifices,  open  to  the  public. 

5.  No  one  is  permitted  to  appear  in  public  with  the 
badges  upon  his  person  of  the  religious  association  with 
which  he  is  connected. 


284    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

6.  The  ministers  of  the  Reformed  Church  shall  con- 
tinue to  enjoy  their  salaries  for  three  years,  in  the  course 
of  which  the  congregations  shall  arrange  for  their  sup- 
port. 

7.  All  the  properties  and  funds  from  which  the  sala- 
ries were  formerly  paid,  belong  to  the  nation.  The 
three  years'  salaries  shall  be  paid  out  of  them.  After 
this,  such  funds  shall  constitute  a  great  national  trea- 
sure, which  is  to  be  applied  to  a  system  of  national  edu- 
cation. 

8.  All  other  ecclesiastical  property  shall  remain  the 
lawful  possession  of  those  who  hold  it,  except  those 
church  buildings  and  parsonages  which  have  not  been 
erected  by  the  congregations  using  them.  These  latter 
shall  be  bestowed  upon  that  ecclesiastical  association  in 
the  place  which  has  the  largest  number  of  members.  A 
proper  proportion  of  the  assessed  value  shall  be  given  to 
other  local  sects. 

From  these  regulations  it  appears  that  it  was  designed 
to  remove  all  distinction  between  the  Reformed  Church 
and  other  religious  societies  of  whatever  creed  and  polity. 
As  a  result,  not  only  great  inconvenience,  but  even  suf- 
fering, was  brought  upon  its  ministers.  The  three  years 
passed  by,  and  no  arrangement  whatever  had  been  made 
for  their  support.  In  Utrecht  alone,  a  convention  had 
been  called  for  the  consideration  of  this  difficult 
matter. 

In  1801  a  constitution  was  framed  by  which  the  gen- 
eral government  was  charged  with  the  establishment  of  a 
fund  from  which  ministers'  salaries  were  to  be  paid. 
The  law  was  to  determine  how  much  each  church-mem- 
ber should  contribute  towards  this  fund.  The  Reformed 
then  indulged  the  hope  that  the  old  .arrangement  would 
be  resumed.     They  attempted  to  show  that  the  Church 


TRANSITIONAL   PERIOD.  285 

was  possessed  of  an  inherent  right  in  the  property  which 
it  occupied. 

The  effort  to  bring  the  Reformed  Church  back  to  a 
position  of  dependence  upon  the  State  for  its  pecuniary 
support,  in  the  end  proved  successful.  On  Feb.  22, 
1802,  the  government  resolved  to  resume  the  payment 
of  the  salaries  of  the  ministers  and  the  emeriti  of  the 
Reformed  Church,  from  the  common  treasury.  Thus, 
after  seven  years  of  revolutionary  radicalism,  all  that  re- 
mained of  the  regulations  affecting  the  Reformed  Church, 
was  that  every  religious  association  had  equal  rights  and 
privileges. 

There  were  indications,  also,  of  a  return  to  a  better 
way  of  thinking.  In  April,  1803,  the  deputies  of  the 
Synod  of  Utrecht  forwarded  to  the  government  a  com- 
plaint respecting  the  desecration  of  the  Sabbath,  the  in- 
crease of  profanity,  and  other  evils.  This  resulted  in 
an  emphatic  injunction  that  the  Sabbath  should  be 
properly  observed.  At  the  same  time  the  approval  or 
the  disapproval  of  calls  was  once  more  submitted  to  the 
government.  State-commissioners  again  appeared  at 
Synodical  meetings,  and  the  expenses  of  these  Synods 
were  defrayed  from  the  general  treasury.  The  ringing 
of  the  bells  was  again  permitted,  and  the  interdict  that 
had  been  laid  upon  a  particular  ministerial  dress  was  re- 
moved. The  National  Assembly  appeared  as  desirous 
as  the  States-General  had  been,  to  meddle  with  purely 
ecclesiastical  affairs.  In  August  of  that  year,  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  Batavian  Republic  declared  that  the  in- 
fluence of  religion  for  the  preservation  of  the  State  was 
of  the  greatest  importance,  and  that,  for  the  sake  of  the 
State  itself,  religious  matters  should  receive  its  super- 
vision. 

In  the  mean  time  Napoleon  was  conquering  Europe, 


286    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

and,  after  dividing  up  its  territory  to  suit  himself, 
placed  whom  he  would  upon  the  thrones  which  he  erect- 
ed. On  April  29, 1805,  he  appointed  Schimmelpenninck 
pensionary  of  the  Netherlands.  That  species  of  gov- 
ernment, however,  lasted  only  a  little  more  than  a  year. 
During  that  time  the  management  of  Church  affairs 
was  entrusted  to  a  Secretary  of  the  Interior.  Henry 
Van  Stralen,  who  held  that  office,  did  much  in  behalf  of 
the  Keformed  Church,  and  gave  special  attention  to  the 
prompt  payment  of  ministers'  salaries. 

During  the  following  year  Napoleon  formed  the  Neth- 
erlands into  a  kingdom.  His  brother,  Louis  Napoleon, 
was  made  its  puppet-king.  On  June  18  he  entered  the 
Hague.  By  the  new  constitution  then  adopted,  the 
name  of  the  new  kingdom  was  declared  to  be  Holland. 
In  the  course  of  the  same  year  an  attempt  was  made  to 
reduce  the  expenditure  incurred  in  the  support  of  the 
Church,  by  extinguishing  some  parishes,  and  by  combin- 
ing two  or  three  small  parishes  adjacent  to  each  other 
into  one.  Churches  were  directed  to  inform  the  Minis- 
ter of  the  Interior  whenever  a  vacancy  should  occur,  and 
Avere  told  that,  except  an  order  to  the  contrary  reached 
them  within  two  weeks,  they  should  proceed  to  supply 
them.  It  was  also  ordered  that  churches,  having  from 
200  to  2000  members,  should  have  one  minister  each  ; 
from  2000  to  4000,  two;  from  4000  to  6000,  three;  from 
6000  to  8000,  four;  from  8000  to  10,000,  five;  from 
10,000  to  13,000,  six;  from  13,000  to  16,000,  seven; 
from  16,000  to  20,000,  eight;  above  that  number,  nine. 
This  plan  of  extinguishing  some  congregations,  and  com- 
bining others,  did  not  work  well  in  Friesland  and  Gro- 
ningen.  However,  a  saving  was  effected  to  the  treasury 
of  40,000  francs  annually. 

Louis  Napoleon  having  been  removed  by  his  imperial 


TRANSITIONAL   PERIOD.  287 

brother,  the  kingdom  Holland  was  incorporated  with 
the  empire  and  became  French  territory  by  a  decree 
passed  July  9,  1810.  By  this  act  the  dream  of  liberty, 
fraternity,  and  equality  was  still  more  clearly  proyen  to 
be  only  a  vision.  So  far  as  the  Church,  under  this  new 
political  arrangement,  is  concerned,  Napoleon  desired  to 
conform  its  affairs,  relating  to  ministerial  support,  to 
the  plan  existing  in  France.  The  salaries  of  French 
Protestant  ministers  were  small.  The  pastors  of  churches 
containing  30,000  members  had  only  2000  francs  annu- 
ally; less  than  that  number,  down  to  5000  members, 
1500  francs ;  and  less  than  5000  members,  only  1000 
francs.  The  ministers  of  the  Netherlands  dreaded  the 
reduction.  They  proposed  to  send  an  address  to  the 
emperor,  but  the  idea  was  abandoned  as  improper.  A 
committee,  however,  was  sent  to  Paris,  with  a  memorial, 
commending  the  interests  of  the  Reformed  Church  to 
the  French  government.  The  memorial  was  left  at  Paris, 
but  nothing  came  of  it.  Provision  was  made  for  the 
support  of  ministers  of  the  Reformed  Church  as 
a  substitute  for  the  mode  which  had  come  to  an  end 
with  the  removal  of  Louis  Napoleon.  The  emperor  di- 
rected that  one  fifteenth  of  the  revenues  of  every  com- 
munity should  be  devoted  to  the  support  of  the  Church. 
This  arrangement  also  ceased  after  a  short  time,  and  the 
families  of  pastors  were  reduced  to  terrible  want,  and 
even  to  starvation. 

The  awful  failure  of  the  expedition  to  Moscow  and 
the  decisive  defeat  at  Waterloo  were  at  hand.  The 
French  yoke  was  soon  to  be  broken.  Holland  was  about 
to  have  a  king  of  its  own.  With  this  change  in  the  po- 
litical situation  came  a  change  in  the  aspect  of  the  affairs 
of  the  Church. 


288    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 


VII. 

THE   CHURCH   AND   THE   KINGDOM. 

After  an  absence  of  a  few  months  less  than  nineteen 
years,  the  Prince  of  Orange  returned  to  the  Nether- 
ands  on  Nov.  13,  1813.  He  was  warmly  welcomed 
back  to  the  Capital.  Enthusiastic  crowds  filled  the 
streets.  Smiles  illumined  every  countenance.  The 
people  thronged  around  the  Prince  to  catch  a  glimpse  of 
his  beloved  face.  All  parties  became  united  under 
him  as  the  Sovereign  Prince.  Peace  and  prosperity 
were  restored.  The  press  was  freed  from  bondage. 
Decided  efforts  were  made  to  provide  for  the  pressing 
wants  of  the  ministers  of  the  Keformed  Church.  A 
day  of  thanksgiving  was  appointed  for  Jan.  13  of  the 
following  year,  and  another,  after  the  treaty  of  Paris, 
for  July  20. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  trace  the  political  events  which 
followed  closely  upon  the  downfall  of  Napoleon,  and  the 
dismemberment  of  the  colossal  empire  which  he  had 
erected.  Suffice  it  to  state  that  they  resulted  for  the 
Netherlands,  including  the  present  kingdoms  of  Hol- 
land and  Belgium,  in  their  recognition  as  an  indepen- 
dent kingdom  by  the  courts  of  London  and  Vienna. 
On  March  16,  1815,  the  Sovereign  Prince  William 
Frederic  was  proclaimed  king  at  the  Hague,  with  the 
title  of  William  I. 

The  king  imagined  that  he  must  direct  the  Re- 
formed Church  in  a  manner  which  he  considered  the 


TRANSITIONAL   PERIOD.  289 

best  calculated  to  subserve  its  interests.  The  constitu- 
tion which  at  his  accession  he  had  sworn  to  observe,  did 
not  give  him  the  right  to  meddle  with  its  affairs.  All 
the  interference  it  allowed  the  State  in  Church  matters, 
was  that  the  State  should  guarantee  to  ministers  the 
payment  of  their  salaries,  and  that  it  was  made  incum- 
bent upon  the  king  to  protect  every  person  in  the  right 
to  exercise  the  form  of  religion  to  which  his  conscience 
inclined  him.  The  articles  of  the  fundamental  law 
bearing  upon  the  subject  of  religion,  were  the  following: 

1.  Complete  liberty  of  religious  opinion  for  every  one. 

2.  Equal  protection  for  all  religions  within  the  king- 
dom. 

3.  No  distinction,  on  the  ground  of  religious  opinion, 
in  respect  to  civil  privileges,  or  political  dignities  or 
offices. 

4.  No  hindrance  in  the  public  exercise  of  any  religion, 
except  upon  the  ground  of  its  interfering  with  the 
public  peace. 

5  Salaries,  pensions,  and  other  incomes  enjoyed  by  the 
several  religious  associations,  to  be  assured  to  them. 
The  ministers  who  had  not  yet  a  salary  from  the  general 
treasury,  could  obtain  it,  and  they  who  had  only  a 
small  salary,  could  have  it  increased. 

6.  The  king  must  have  a  care  that  moneys  avowedly 
disbursed  for  religious  purposes,  are  not  applied  to  any 
other  object. 

7.  Also,  that  there  be  no  interference  with  the  prac- 
tice of  religion  allowed  by  the  law,  and  that  the  mem- 
bers of  existing  denominations  render  due  obedience  to 
the  civil  authority. 

The  course  pursued  by  the  king  exceeded  the  limits 
prescribed  in  these  articles.     He  appointed  a  committee 
to  frame   an   ordinance  by  which   the  relation  of  the 
25 


290    REFORMED   CHURCH  IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

State  to  the  Church  should  be  defined.  On  Jan.  7, 
1816,  a  royal  decree  was  issued,  based  upon  the  plan 
projected  by  the  committee.  It  contained  these  restric- 
tions upon  the  freedom  of  the  Reformed  Church: 

1.  No  ecclesiastical  assembly  shall  correspond  with 
foreign  churches  without  the  consent  of  the  king. 

2.  The  members  of  the  next  Synod  shall  receive  their 
appointment  from  the  king. 

3.  The  king  shall  appoint  the  permanent  Synodical 
Clerk  and  the  President  of  each  Synod. 

4.  The  Synod  shall  not  convene  on  any  day  other 
than  that  stated  in  the  rules,  without  the  consent  of  the 
king,  nor  shall  it  be  permitted  to  promulge  any  of  its 
resolutions  except  such  as  he  approves. 

5.  Every  meeting  of  the  Synod  must  be  attended  by 
the  Minister  of  Public  Worship,  or  by  one  or  more 
political  commissaries. 

These  restrictions  caused  much  dissatisfaction.  In 
some  instances  the  mob,  impelled  by  an  extravagant  zeal 
for  liberty  and  equality,  and  angered  by  the  submission 
of  the  Church,  rushed  into  the  sacred  edifices,  broke 
down  the  pulpits,  desecrated  the  tombs,  and  even  in 
some  instances  disturbed  the  remains  of  the  dead.  But 
the  submission  on  the  part  of  the  Church  was  not  unani- 
mous. The  Classis  of  Amsterdam,  three  months  after 
the  date  of  the  decree,  sent  to  the  king  a  committee  with 
an  address.  It  protested  upon  the  ground  that  these  regu- 
lations originated,  not  with  the  Synod,  but  with  the 
king;  also,  that  the  unlimited  power,  placed  in  the 
Ministerial  Department,  might  result  in  serious  injury 
to  the  cause  of  liberty  in  religion  and  the  purity  of  the 
Church.  This  Ministerial  Department  had  been  ap- 
pointed as  a  branch  of  the  political  administration  "  for 
the  worship  of  the  Reformed  and  others,  the  Roman 


TRANSITIONAL  PERIOD.  291 

Catholics  excepted."  In  connection  with  this  Depart- 
ment was  a  committee  of  the  Civil  Council,  whose  duty 
it  was  to  inform  the  king  of  all  matters  relating  to 
religious  worship.  At  the  head  of  the  Ministerial  De- 
partment was  a  commissary-general,  afterwards  the 
Minister  of  State,  who  was  charged  with  the  direction  of 
the  affairs  of  the  Eeformed  Church.  Associated  with 
him  was  an  Advisory  Secretary. 

When  the  protest  from  the  Classis  of  Amsterdam  was 
received,  this  last-mentioned  officer  replied  that  "the 
ministers  of  the  Eeformed  Church,  who  are  under  a 
permanent  obligation  to  our  beloved  king,  cannot  but 
rejoice  that  they  have  fresh  evidence  of  His  Majesty's 
intention,  on  the  one  hand,  to  maintain  the  rights 
which  belong  to  him  as  sovereign;  and,  on  the  other, 
strictly  to  respect  liberty  of  religion,  the  prerogatives  of 
conscience,  and  the  independence  of  the  faith.  He  will 
in  this  manner  refrain  from  influencing  that  which  per- 
tains exclusively,  not  to  the  domain  of  the  king  but 
to  that  of  God."  According  to  the  interpretation  put  by 
the  King  upon  the  relation  between  the  State  and  the 
Church,  the  authority  of  the  former  was  not  in  the 
Church  (jus  in  sacra),  but  concerning  the  Church  (jus 
circa  sacra).  He  admitted  that  the  legislative  power  in 
the  Church  is  in  the  Synod,  but  that  it  is  to  be  exer- 
cised under  the  sanction  of  the  king.  The  ordinances 
of  the  Church  must  have  the  seal  of  the  royal  approval 
before  they  became  legally  operative.  In  matters  of 
discipline  the  Church  is  wholly  independent,  but  she 
cannot  go  beyond  withholding  ecclesiastical  privileges 
and  declaring  a  person  unworthy  to  hold  an  ecclesiasti- 
cal office. 

Under  this  new  organization  many  improvements  were 
made  by  the  Synods  of  1816  and  of  the  years  imme- 


292    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

diately  following,  in  respect  to  existing  customs  and 
usages.  Some  new  practices  were  also  introduced. 
Notices  of  sales  and  other  secular  matters  were  banished 
from  the  pulpits.  Services  were  directed  to  be  held  on 
Good  Friday,  New- Year -Eve  and  New-  Year-Day.  Min- 
isters were  recommended  to  pronounce  a  benediction  at 
wedding-ceremonies.  Impressive  services  were  arranged 
for  each  anniversary  of  the  victory  at  Waterloo.  Private 
baptism  was  forbidden.  Public  baptisms  were  to  be 
administered  on  Sundays  only.  A  memorial  service, 
in  honor  of  the  Eeformation,  was  appointed  to  be  held 
annually  on  Oct.  31.  It  was  decided  in  regard  to  the 
Lord's  Supper,  that  at  every  preparatory  service  the 
pastor  shall  observe  the  following  form. 

"The  members  of  the  Christian  Church,  who  expect 
to  celebrate  the  Lord's  Supper,  are  requested  to  rise, 
and,  in  the  presence  of  God,  the  Searcher  of  hearts,  to 
answer  with  me  to  these  questions, 

"  First,  I  ask  you  whether  you  believe  in  your  hearts 
that  the  true  and  complete  doctrine,  which  has  been 
revealed  to  us  by  God,  is  contained  in  the  books  of  the 
Old  and  the  New  Testaments? 

"Let  them  who  believe  this  say  with  me,  Yes. 

"  Secondly,  I  ask  you  whether  you  believe  in  your 
hearts  that  through  sin  you  are  corrupt,  and,  before 
God,  are  worthy  of  punishment;  and,  that  in  consequence 
thereof,  you  abhor  yourselves  in  humility  and  repen- 
tance? 

"  Let  them  who  believe  this,  and  are  thus  disposed, 
say  with  me,  Yes. 

"  Thirdly,  I  ask  you  whether  you  believe  in  your 
hearts  that  God,  through  grace  alone,  has  given  unto 
us  his  only  begotten  Son,  Jesus  Christ,  to  be  our  only 
complete  Saviour,  whose  body  was  broken  for  us,  and 


TRANSITIONAL   PERIOD.  293 

whose  blood  was  shed  for  us  unto  the  forgiveness  of  sin; 
and  whether,  with  a  believing  heart,  you  receive  him 
unto  wisdom,  righteousness,  sanctification,  and  redemp- 
tion? 

"  Let  them  who  believe  this,  and  are  thus  disposed, 
say  with  me,  Yes. 

"Fourthly,  I  ask  whether  you  sincerely  purpose,  ac- 
cording to  the  obligation  which  by  your  baptism  has 
been  laid  upon  you,  to  continue  in  this  confession  by  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  to  strengthen  your  faith,  to 
improve  your  life,  and  to  live  with  your  neighbor  in 
true  love  and  concord,  thus  showing  to  God  true  thank- 
fulness for  his  mercy? 

"  Let  them  who  are  thus  disposed  say  with  me,  Yes." 

These  questions  had  been  in  use  for  some  time  in  the 
churches  of  Groningen  and  Friesland,  but  by  the  Synod 
of  1817  they  were  enjoined  upon  the  Eeformed  Church 
throughout  the  land. 

Under  the  new  order  the  regular  preaching  from  the 
Catechism  was  also  required.  The  Classes  were  directed 
to  give  strict  attention  to  the  examination  of  candidates. 
The  appointment  of  the  professors  of  the  theological 
schools  was  retained  by  the  State.  The  professors  were 
ordered  to  attend  the  sessions  of  Synods  as  advisory 
members,  and  the  Sjaiods  were  directed  to  consult  the 
theological  faculties  about  any  matters  in  debate  in 
which  it  might  be  desirable  to  have  an  expression  of 
their  views. 


294    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 


VIII. 
THE   CONTROVERSY   QUIA — QUATENUS. 

For  the  Latin  words  in  the  above  heading,  the  Eng- 
lish words  because — in  so  far  as  might  just  as  well  be 
substituted,  were  it  not  that  history  retains  them  for  the 
reason  that,  having  been  used  at  the  time  to  which  that 
history  refers,  they  will  always  designate  just  exactly  the 
kind  of  division  of  opinion  by  which  the  Church  then 
was  distracted.  Around  the  ideas  which  are  expressed 
by  these  Eoman  terms  more  concisely  than  by  the  cor 
responding  phrases  in  any  other  language,  the  discus- 
sions clustered  which  found  utterance  in  sermons  and 
orations,  and  were  set  forth  in  pamphlets  and  Synodical 
proceedings. 

The  first  Synod  (1816)  which  met  under  the  new  or- 
ganization described  in  the  last  chapter,  prepared  a  form 
to  which  candidates  for  licensure  were  required  to  affix 
their  names.  It  was  designed  to  supersede  that  which 
had  been  drawn  up  by  the  great  Synod  of  Dort  in  1619. 
It  received  the  approval  of  King  William.  According 
to  its  contents  the  candidate  declared  by  his  signature, 
that  he  heartily  believed  and  would  diligently  teach  and 
maintain,  the  doctrines  which,  conformably  to  the  Word 
of  God,  are  contained  in  the  accepted  Forms  of  Concord 
of  the  Eeformed  Church  in  the  Netherlands.  The 
meaning  of  this  does  not  seem  to  be  obscure.  Still,  the 
question  arose  about  the  signification  of  the  phrase, 
"  conformably  to  the  Word  of  God."     What  did  the  can- 


TRANSITIONAL   PERIOD.  295 

didate  promise  when  he  subscribed  the  sentence  contain- 
ing that  expression?  Did  he  acknowledge  that  he  re- 
garded the  Confession,  the  Heidelberg  Catechism,  and 
the  Dordracene  Canons,  as  harmonizing  with  the  teach- 
ings of  the  Bible?  Did  he  avow  that  he  received  them 
in  good  faith  in  so  far  as  they  were  in  harmony  there- 
with? Which  of  these  two  was  the  true  position?  Sides 
were  taken. 

Prominent  among  those  who  held  to  the  former  view, 
was  Heringa,  a  professor  in  the  University  of  Utrecht. 
They  who  were  attached  to  him  said  that  the  adoption, 
or  the  rejection,  of  that  opinion  was  the  mark  of  the 
standing  or  the  falling  of  the  Reformed  Church.  They 
received  the  standards  of  the  Reformed  Church  because 
they  agreed  with  the  Word  of  God.  They  declared  that 
with  even  the  mental  reservation,  in  so  far  as,  the  new 
form  might  be  signed  by  the  members  of  every  possible 
sect,  even  by  Jews  and  Romanists. 

The  leader  of  those  who  held  the  opposite  view  was 
Herman  Donker  Curtius.  He  was  born  on  the  first  day 
of  the  year  1779.  The  days  of  his  youth,  therefore,  were 
spent  during  the  stormy  times  preceding  the  revolution. 
His  studies  were  pursued  at  the  University  of  Utrecht, 
where  he  was  a  pupil  of  Heringa.  His  literary  achieve- 
ments at  his  graduation  won  him  considerable  fame. 
After  short  pastorates  at  Laren  and  Blarcum,  and  next 
at  Muiderberg,  he  accepted  a  call  to  Arnhem,  the  capital 
of  the  Province  Gelderland.  The  office  of  Superinten- 
dent of  the  schools  added  to  his  duties.  He  appears  to 
have  been  a  man  of  considerable  ability.  In  theology  he 
manifested  a  tendency  towards  rationalism.  He  stood 
very  high  in  the  favor  of  King  William  I.  When  His 
Majesty  appointed  a  committee  to  draw  up  the  plan  of 
ecclesiastical  organization  of  1815,  he  made  Curtius  one 


296    REFORMED    CHURCH   IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

of  its  members.  Whenever  he  was  one  of  the  Synodical 
delegates  from  the  Province  of  Gelderland,  the  king  ap- 
pointed him  President  of  that  Synod.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  1837. 

Forty  years  before  the  opening  of  this  controversy, 
Bonnet  had  written,  "With  reason  we  are  reminded  that 
the  formulas  of  the  faith,  composed  by  men,  are  no  tests 
of  truth  or  error  in  matters  of  religion.  It  is  a  pity  that 
they  are  sometimes  regarded  as  such,  as  though  the 
teachers  of  the  Church  placed  such  compositions  on  the 
same  level  with  the  Word  of  God.  Good  theologians  do 
not  attribute  any  value  to  such  compositions,  except  in 
so  far  as  they  harmonize  with  the  Word  of  God."  It 
can  easily  be  perceived  that  both  the  opposing  camps 
might  claim  as  their  supporter  the  man  whose  oracular 
utterance  appears,  according  to  the  standpoint  from 
which  his  statements  are  approached,  to  sustain  each  in 
its  view  of  the  question  at  issue. 

The  peace-loving  Heringa  could  not  bear  this  condi- 
tion of  things  in  the  Church.  Moreover,  he  plainly  saw 
that  the  triumph  of  the  dissenting  party  would  be  the 
opening  of  the  way  for  the  assumption  of  great  liberty 
with  the  Standards  of  the  Church.  Every  man  would  be 
placed  in  the  position  of  constituting  himself  an  interpre- 
ter of  the  extent  to  which  the  Symbols  reflect  the  Word 
of  God.  Some  might  be  disposed  to  reduce  the  harmony 
between  them  to  a  minimum.  Heringa  therefore  at- 
tempted a  union  of  the  two  parties  upon  a  middle  ground. 
He  clung  to  the  quia  view  still.  But,  said  he,  let  the 
accepted  interpretation  of  the  phrase,  "  conformably  to 
the  Word  of  God,"  in  the  connection  in  which  it  occurs 
in  the  Form  to  be  signed  by  proposed  licentiates,  be  this, 
that  the  Forms  of  Concord  of  the  Reformed  Church  are 


TRANSITIONAL   PERIOD.  297 

received  as  in  harmony  with  the  Word  of  God  in  respect 
to  the  principal  matters  contained  in  them. 

Memorials  were  sent  to  the  Synod  of  1834,  requesting 
that,  for  the  removal  of  all  uncertainty,  it  would  furnish 
an  explanation  of  the  meaning  of  the  phrase  in  debate, 
and  that  it  would  insist  upon  the  binding  authority  of 
the  Forms,  whether  in  their  entirety,  or  as  to  their  most 
distinctive  doctrinal  teachings.  The  Synod  of  the  next 
year  took  these  requests  into  consideration,  and  listened 
to  the  advice  of  the  aged  Heringa.  Curtius  presided. 
On  July  13  a  vote  was  taken.  By  a  large  majority  the 
Synod  refused  to  comply.  Heringa  and  those  whom  he 
represented  were  much  distressed.  The  grief  of  many 
of  these  was  not  of  a  mere  passive  kind.  The  refusal  of 
the  Synod  to  return  a  favorable  response,  had  much  to 
do  with  the  formation  of  the  separatist  congregations 
who  once  more  loved  to  call  themselves  by  the  time-hon- 
ored name  of  "the  Churches  under  the  Cross." 


298  REFORMED  CHURCH  IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 


IX. 

THE   CHURCHES   UNDER  THE   CROSS. 

During  the  second  quarter  of  the  nineteenth  century 
a  reactionary  movement  took  place  within  the  Reformed 
Church.  The  rationalism  by  which  the  Church  was 
undermined,  and  the  formalism  that  reduced  its  cultus 
to  a  lifeless  ceremonial,  evoked  a  decided  protest  from 
such  men  as  the  poet  Bilderdyk,  the  jurist  and  theo- 
logian Isaac  Da  Costa,  and  the  historian  Van  Prinsterer. 
It  was  with  no  uncertain  sound  that  these  master-minds 
among  the  laity  inveighed  against  the  spirit  of  the  age. 
But  this  same  condemnation  showed  itself  also  in  a 
manner  which  these  men  could  not  approve.  There 
were  many  who  did  not  hesitate  to  sever  their  connection 
with  the  Church  whose  degeneracy  they  deplored,  and 
to  form  independent  congregations.  As  this  could  not 
be  done,  under  the  existing  condition  of  things,  without 
much  trouble,  since  the  State  had  once  more  acquired  a 
considerable  degree  of  supervision  over  the  Church,  they 
who  thus  drew  upon  themselves  suffering  for  conscience' 
sake,  thought  they  were  justified  in  assuming  the  title  at 
the  head  of  this  chapter. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  they  who  resorted  to  the  schism 
were  impelled  by  a  variety  of  grievances.  Not  that  all 
these  pressed  upon  the  whole  body  of  the  seceders,  but 
that  each  person  alleged  one  or  more,  though  indifferent 
to  the  others,  and  thus  made  common  cause  with  those 
who  were  dissatisfied,  as  well  as  himself,  with  that  for 


TRANSITIONAL   PERIOD.  299 

which  there  seemed  to  be  no  remedy.  The  tendency  of 
the  times  to  obliterate  all  distinctions  between  Protes- 
tants ;  the  prevailing  indifference  to  the  practice  of  a 
deep-toned  piety;  the  new  organization  of  the  Church 
under  the  sanction  of  royal  authority;  dissatisfaction 
with  the  hymns  which  the  Synod  of  1807  had  directed 
to  be  used  at  public  worship,  together  with  the  Psalms ; 
the  alleged  remissness  of  the  Synod  in  not  combating, 
with  the  necessary  vigor,  the  publications  of  the  day 
which  were  tainted  with  heterodoxy;  opposition  to  the 
resolution  of  the  Synod  of  1817  which  had  enjoined  the 
use  of  the  four  questions  at  preparatory  services,  on  the 
ground  that  they  tended  to  offend  God's  peoj^le;  these 
were  some  of  the  causes  that  led  to  the  formation  in  the 
Netherlands  of  a  separate  religious  association  which,  in 
1855,  had  293  congregations  with  100,000  members,  200 
ministers,  and  a  theological  seminary;  and  in  the  estab- 
lishment in  the  American  Union  of  important  settle- 
ments. 

The  leaders  in  the  secession  were  Hendrik  de  Cock 
and  H.  P.  Scholte.  They  were  remarkable  men,  espe- 
cially the  latter;  of  fervent  piety,  of  intense  conviction 
and  of  an  unyielding  determination. 

De  Cock  began  his  work  in  the  ministry  at  Eppen- 
huisen  and  Xoordlaren  in  1824.  After  five  years  he 
accepted  a  call  to  Ulrum.  In  the  latter  place  he 
preached  his  strong  Calvinistic  discourses  to  large  con- 
gregations. He  soon  came  in  conflict  with  the  ecclesias- 
tical authorities.  He  was  charged  with  baptizing  the 
children  belonging  to  other  congregations,  and  with  in- 
stilling into  their  minds  the  peculiar  views  of  the  Bilder- 
dyk  school.  The  Classis  of  Middelstrum  denounced  this 
practice.  Two  ministers,  named  Brower  and  Eedding, 
assailed  him  in  their  publications,  and  were  sharply 


300    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

answered  by  him  in  a  counter-pamphlet.  The  Classis 
then  suspended  him  provisionally  until  he  should  repent 
of  these  two  offenses.  An  appeal  to  the  Provincial 
Synod  of  Groningen  only  resulted  in  the  additional 
sentence  that  he  should  be  deprived  of  his  salary  for 
two  years.  In  case,  however,  that  he  repented,  he  was 
to  be  fully  restored  and  all  penalties  remitted. 

The  trouble  was  aggravated  when  De  Cock  furnished 
a  preface  to  a  volume  issued  by  J.  Klok,  in  1834, 
entitled  "  The  Evangelical  Hymns  tested,  weighed  and 
found  wanting."  The  Provincial  Synod  deposed  the 
author  of  the  preface  from  the  ministry.  An  appeal  to 
the  General  Synod  resulted  in  the  sustentation  of  the 
lower  body,  with  this  modification,  however,  that  the 
sentence  would  not  be  enforced  in  case  De  Cock  retracted 
within  six  months.  Instead  of  humbling  himself  before 
the  Particular  Synod,  De  Cock,  joined  by  the  greater 
part  of  his  congregation  at  Ulrum,  seceded  from  the 
Reformed  Church,  and  gave  notice  of  this  to  the 
highest  courts  of  the  ecclesiastical  and  the  civil  govern- 
ments. His  deposition  by  the  Synod  occurred  the  next 
year. 

De  Cock  publicly  announced  the  act  of  separation  on 
October  13,  1834.  The  preceding  day  was  a  Sabbath. 
An  unusual  scene  might  have  been  witnessed  at  Ulrum, 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  church  of  the  deposed  pastor. 
Standing  in  a  wagon  between  De  Cock  and  his  wife  was 
a  preacher  in  the  vigor  of  manhood.  He  conducted  the 
customary  services  of  the  Reformed  Church,  omitting 
the  singing  of  the  Evangelical  Hymns.  The  minister 
was  H.  P.  Scholte.  He  was  deeply  in  sympathy  with 
De  Cock  in  the  spiritual  reactionary  movement  which 
he  represented.  He  was  a  disciple  of  Chevallier,  the 
friend  and  spiritual  adviser  of  Da   Costa.     Bilderdyk 


TRANSITIONAL   PERIOD.  301 

gave  his  support  to  young  Scholte.  The  antipathy  of 
the  latter  to  Van  der  Palm,  "the  Dutch  Cicero,"  as  he 
has  been  called,  whose  learning  and  pulpit  eloquence 
drew  around  him  a  host  of  admirers,  caused  him  the 
loss  of  the  countenance  of  many  who  held  a  prominent 
position  in  the  community.  In  politics  a  staunch  ad- 
herent to  the  house  of  Orange,  Scholte  instantly  aban- 
doned his  studies  to  take  an  active  part  in  the  war 
which  resulted  in  the  recognition  of  Belgium  as  an 
independent  kingdom.  After  the  close  of  the  war,  in 
1830,  he  became  pastor  of  the  church  at  Genderen 
in  Heusden. 

Within  three  weeks  after  De  Cock's  secession,  Scholte 
followed  his  example.  He  was  joined  in  this  step  by 
four  other  pastors,  named  Brummelkamp,  Van  Rhee, 
Meerburg,  and  Van  Velzen.  All  these  were  deposed 
from  the  ministry. 

Scholte  sent  the  act  of  secession  to  the  king,  accom- 
panied by  a  letter  in  which  he  expressed  himself  in  a 
spirit  of  Christian  independence,  without  losing  sight  of 
the  deference  that  is  due  to  the  powers  ordained  of 
God.  "We  desire/' he  wrote,  "liberty  in  religion  for 
every  one.  This  same  liberty  we,  who  are  the  faithful 
subjects  of  Your  Majesty,  and  obedient  in  everything 
connected  with  our  civil  relations,  desire  for  ourselves. 
According  to  the  constitution  all  religions  have  an  equal 
freedom  unto  the  public  exercise  of  their  worship.  We 
cannot  doubt  but  that  the  same  freedom  and  protection 
shall  be  extended  to  our  Church,  since  we  desire  nothing 
new.  We  only  wish  to  worship  God  upon  the  same 
basis,  and  according  to  the  same  rules,  as  our  forefathers 
who  fought  against  Spanish  tyranny  and  Papal  ambition, 
and,  under  the  leadership  of  Your  Illustrious  Ancestors, 
freely  sacrificed  their  substance  and  their  lives  for  the 
26 


302    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE   NETHERLANDS. 

cause  of  liberty  of  conscience.  '  Faithful  to  the  king 
even  unto  beggary/  is  and  shall  remain  our  watchword. 
The  ability  thereto,  however,  lies  for  us  only  in  the  faith 
which  made  our  fathers  so  courageous  and  fearless." 

On  November  27  the  Department  of  religious  wor- 
ship refused  to  permit  the  seceders  to  hold  services,  on 
the  ground  that  the  Constitution  guaranteed  liberty  and 
protection  to  the  religions  already  existing.  More  than 
a  year  afterward,  on  December  11,  1835,  the  govern- 
ment declared  that  it  required  for  examination  the 
regulations  of  the  new  Society,  with  a  view  of  ascertain- 
ing that  they  contained  nothing  injurious  to  the  State, 
nor  to  the  interests  of  the  Established  Church.  Scholte 
and  his  followers  refused  to  furnish  any  regulations, 
referring  the  government  to  the  Confession  and  the 
Heidelberg  Catechism  as  their  standards.  On  July  5th 
of  the  following  year,  the  king  replied  to  addresses  that 
had  been  forwarded  to  him.  He  insisted  upon  the 
regulations,  signed  by  those  who  wished  to  form  a 
church  of  the  new  order  in  any  place,  and  countersigned 
by  the  local  burgomaster.  It  was  declared  that  the  new 
Society  was  to  provide  for  its  own  expenditures,  and  to 
care  for  its  own  poor.  In  every  case  that  persons  to  a 
greater  number  than  twenty  wished  to  hold  religious 
services  in  a  private  house,  they  must  previously  secure 
the  consent  of  a  local  magistrate. 

In  the  mean  time  Scholte  traveled  through  the  land 
and  preached  where  he  could  obtain  a  hearing.  He 
baptized  the  children  and  ordained  Elders  and  Deacons 
over  the  churches  which  were  formed.  The  govern- 
ment then  resorted  to  severe  measures.  The  military 
were  quartered  in  the  places  where  the  secession  showed 
itself,  though  the  burden  was  not  imposed  upon  the 
separatists  exclusively.     The  soldiers  were  sometimes 


TRANSITIONAL   PERIOD.  303 

guilty  of  excesses.  Men  were  reminded  of  the  dragonades 
of  Louis  XIV.  Fines  were  imposed.  Imprisonment 
fell  to  the  lot  of  some.  Coercion  in  matters  of  religion 
gives  the  prestige  of  martyrdom  and  sows  the  seed  of  an 
abundant  harvest  in  favor  of  the  oppressed.  Once  more 
"the  Church  under  the  Cross"  had  a  place  in  history. 

In  1838  Scholte  yielded  to  the  demands  of  the  govern- 
ment. He  had  gathered  a  church  in  Utrecht.  He  sent 
in  a  code  of  statutes.  They  were  examined  and  ap- 
proved, and  on  February  14,  1839,  the  "  Christian 
Seceded  Church"  in  Utrecht  was  recognized  and  per- 
mitted to  hold  religious  worship  in  the  building  Soli 
Deo  Gloria.  This  action  of  the  government  was  de- 
nounced by  many  who  were  not  willing  that  the  seces- 
sion should  have  been  countenanced  in  any  way. 

King  William  I.  abdicated  the  throne  in  favor  of  his 
son  in  1840.  William  II.  was  disposed  to  deal  leniently 
with  the  churches  of  the  separation.  Already  numeri- 
cally, though  not  so  much  on  the  ground  of  culture  and 
wealth,  they  could  claim  respect.  Coercion  ceased.  All 
that  was  now  required  unto  the  recognition  of  every 
Church  was,  that  it  should  be  regularly  organized,  and 
that  it  should  furnish  a  certificate  from  the  local  govern- 
ment testifying  to  the  appropriateness  of  the  building  in 
which  it  was  intended  to  hold  the  services.  Each  Church 
was  to  provide  for  its  own  necessities,  and  was  forbidden 
to  present  any  claim  upon  the  property,  the  revenue,  or 
the  privileges  of  the  Eeformed  Church. 

In  the  course  of  the  same  year  De  Cock  and  Scholte 
became  estranged  from  each  other.  The  former  brought 
charges  of  schism  and  slander  against  his  friend  and 
co-laborer,  and,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  declared  him 
unworthy  of  the  office  of  the  ministry.  These  dissen- 
sions may  have  had  their  influence  in  prompting  Scholte 


304    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE   NETHERLANDS. 

and  a  number  of  his  adherents  to  seek  a  home  in  the 
new  world.  They  came  to  America,  and  by  way  of  New 
Orleans  traveled  to  Iowa.  They  located  in  that  State 
and  founded  a  village  which  they  named  Pella.  Shortly 
afterwards  they  were  followed  to  the  United  States  by 
A.  C.  Van  Raalte  and  his  colonists.  These  landed  at 
New  York,  and  in  the  State  of  Michigan  made  homes 
for  themselves.  Both  these  men  have  entered  into  rest. 
Those  who  followed  their  leadership,  and  their  descend- 
ants, are  developing  the  resources  of  the  region  where 
they  settled,  and,  by  their  piety,  industry  and  thrift,  are 
from  year  to  year  adding  wealth  and  strength  to  the 
Union  in  which  they  sought  and  found  the  liberty  of 
which  they  were  in  search. 


TRANSITIONAL   PERIOD.  305 


X. 

CONCLUSION. 

Between"  1340,  the  date  of  the  birth  of  Gerard  Groote, 
the  first  ante-reformer  of  the  Netherlands,  and  1840, 
when  King  William  II.,  during  whose  reign  the  separa- 
tists became  a  recognized  religious  body,  ascended  the 
throne  of  Holland,  were  exactly  five  hundred  years. 
The  four  periods  into  which  the  author  divided  the 
Dutch  ecclesiastical  history  of  these'  five  centuries,  and 
which  he  named  respectively  the  Formative  Period,  the 
Defensive  Period,  the  Period  of  Danger,  and  the  Transi- 
tional Period,  are  of  very  different  lengths.  The  first, 
including  the  lives  and  the  labors  of  the  men  who  ex- 
erted a  great  influence  in  preparing  the  Netherlands  to 
throw  off  the  yoke  of  Rome,  and  the  consolidation  of  the 
Reformed  into  a  thoroughly  organized  Church,  is  the 
longest,  embracing  no  less  than  241  years.  The  second, 
in  which  occurred  the  great  Synod  of  Dordrecht,  is  the 
shortest,  covering  only  37  years.  The  third,  ending 
with  the  death  of  Roell,  lasted  102  years;  and  the  fourth 
was  of  120  years'  duration. 

If  we  desired  to  choose  for  the  heading  of  each  period 
a  motto  indicating  to  the  reader  of  its  history  its  sub- 
stance, or  at  once  fixing  his  mind  upon  the  principal 
lessons  taught  by  it,  we  should  have  no  difficulty  in 
finding  that  of  which  we  are  in  search  in  the  volume  of 
the  Holy  Scripture.  Nor  is  this  surprising.  Writers 
of  fiction  point  out  the  drift  of  that  part  of  the  narra- 


306    REFORMED    CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

tive  which  presents  the  words  and  the  acts  of  the  heroes, 
by  placing,  as  a  superscription  over  each  chapter,  a  quo- 
tation from  a  poet  or  a  philosopher.  The  principle  upon 
which  they  do  this  is  the  identity  of  human  nature 
everywhere  and  always.  "  As  in  water  face  answereth 
to  face,  so  the  heart  of  man  to  man."  Under  certain  cir- 
cumstances men,  acting  out  their  simple  human  nature, 
will  speak  and  act  nearly  alike,  and  their  conduct  is 
recognized  upon  broad  grounds  as  the  crystallization  of 
their  thoughts.  Hence  we  approve,  or  condemn,  a  work 
of  fiction,  as  natural,  or  contrary  to  nature,  as  the  au- 
thor meets,  or  does  not  meet,  the  general  idea  of  the 
manner  in  which  a  real  person,  actually  placed  in  such 
a  scene,  would  speak  and  act. 

Now,  history,  in  so  far  as  it  is  the  record  of  events, 
controlled  and  directed  by  the  supramundane,  personal 
God,  is  a  manifestation  of  Himself.  But  the  word  of 
revelation  is  this  essentially.  There  must  be  therefore 
a  species  of  harmony  between  them.  There  certainly 
are  points  of  contact  between  the  two  records.  To  say 
the  least,  they  run  in  parallel  lines.  But  history,  secu- 
lar or  inspired,  to  the  extent  that  it  narrates  the  utter- 
ances and  the  deeds  of  men,  is  an  exhibition  of  that 
which  is  thoroughly  human.  But  the  same  may  be 
said  also  of  the  portion  of  the  Bible  not  strictly  histori- 
cal nor  theological,  for  the  reason  that  it  holds  up  man 
to  himself  as  he  is,  the  representation  being  perfect  be- 
cause drawn  by  an  infallible  Artist.  Again,  then,  how 
otherwise  than  that  between  history,  and  Scripture  in 
its  multiform  utterances,  there  should  be  points  of 
contact  ?  Now  if  all  this  is  true  of  secular  history, 
how  much  more  so  of  church-history,  and  eminently 
true  of  politico-ecclesastical  history,  such  as  that  of  the 
Reformed  Church  in  the  Netherlands,  between  1340 
and  1840! 


TRANSITIONAL   PERIOD.  307 

The  passage  of  Scripture  which  is  suggested  by  a  re- 
view of  the  Formative  Period  of  the  Reformed  Church, 
is  a  portion  of  the  glowing  description,  by  the  author  of 
the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  of  the  triumphs  achieved  by 
the  worthies,  each  of  whom  illustrated  the  mighty  power 
of  faith — "who  through  faith  subdued  kingdoms." 
The  dominion  in  the  heart  of  the  passions  and  lusts  of 
an  unrenewed  nature;  the  tyranny  which  held  the  con- 
science enthralled  by  means  of  chains  that  were  forged 
in  the  strongholds  of  Papal  superstition  and  arrogance; 
and  the  despotism  which,  lending  itself  to  the  execution 
of  the  behests  of  the  ecclesiastical  power,  trampled  upon 
every  heaven-born  right  of  the  citizen;  were  the  king- 
doms that  were  subdued  through  faith  by  those  who 
sacrificed  their  goods,  shed  their  blood,  and  yielded  their 
lives  for  the  sake  of  the  truth  that  the  just  shall  live  by 
faith,  and  for  the  establishment  of  a  Church  which  shall 
have  this  doctrine  written  over  its  gates  in  letters  of 
light,  so  long  as  it  prove  not  recreant  to  its  origin. 

When  this  cardinal  doctrine  which,  with  its  kindred 
truths,  had  been  set  forth  in  the  Confession  of  faith 
which  had  been  composed  at  home,  and  in  the  Cate- 
chism which  had  been  gratefully  received  from  the  land 
of  Luther,  was  assailed  within  the  Church  itself  by  the 
followers  of  those  who  formerly  had  marched  under  the 
banner  of  Pelagius,  its  defense  was  instantly  undertaken 
and  vigorously  maintained.  "The  form  of  sound 
words"  was  regarded  as  too  precious  than  that  an  altera- 
tion of  it  should  lightly  be  allowed,  especially,  as  the 
proposal  to  revise  and  amend  the  Standards  of  the 
Church  had  back  of  it  the  design  to  substitute  for  the 
tenets  of  the  Calvinistic  School  the  views  of  Arminius. 
The  zeal  that  was  manifested  in  the  second  Period  by 
the  protectors  of  the  doctrines  which  are  represented  by 


308    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN   THE  NETHERLANDS. 

the  Reformed  Church,  was  that  which  animated  the  au- 
thor of  the  same  epistle  from  which  the  motto  for  the 
first  Period  was  taken,  when  he  addressed  to  his  readers 
of  all  times  the  exhortation  "  Let  us  hold  fast  our 
profession." 

When  they  who  compose  the  visible  Church  "  will  not 
endure  sound  doctrine"  they  "  turn  away  their  ears  from 
the  truth  unto  fables."  The  Church-militant  is  prone 
to  fall  into  this  evil.  A  warning  symptom  is  the  "  itch- 
ing ear."  The  evidence  that  the  warning  was  in  vain, 
is  the  "  heaping  up  teachers  after  one's  own  lusts."  The 
Reformed  Church  became  entangled  in  this  snare  during 
the  third  Period  of  its  history,  which  may  therefore 
properly  be  termed  the  Period  of  Danger.  The  Scrip- 
ture word  which  during  that  period  had  a  special  mean- 
ing for  those  who  watched  the  times,  and  is  profoundly 
significant  as  long  as  the  Church  is  yet  exposed  to  a 
similar  trial  of  her  faith  and  steadfastness,  is  the  warn- 
ing of  the  Apostle  Paul  to  the  Colossians,  "  Beware  lest 
any  man  spoil  you  through  philosophy  and  vain  deceit, 
after  the  tradition  of  men,  after  the  rudiments  of  the 
world,  and  not  after  Christ." 

The  witness  to  the  true  progress  of  our  humanity  is 
the  acquisition  of  liberty.  The  correctness  of  the  as- 
sertion, however,  depends  upon  the  mode  of  the  acquisi- 
tion of  liberty.  When  liberty  is  forcibly  seized  by  the 
rejection  of  all  proper  authority,  it  forfeits  even  the  name. 
Lawlessness  is  not  freedom  but  slavery.  When  liberty 
is  secured  as  the  result  of  the  culture  of  the  mind  and 
the  heart,  but  especially  of  the  spiritual  faculties,  it  sub- 
mits to  the  just  restraint  which  indeed  is  essentially  a 
part  of  itself.  At  the  same  time  it  is  prepared  to  assert 
the  inalienable  rights  of  man,  and  to  battle  most  vigor- 
ously against  all  attempts  at  its  restriction.     Although 


TRANSITIONAL   PERIOD.  309 

the  French  revolution,  which  preceded  that  in  the 
Netherlands,  was  a  reaction  against  some  of  the  most 
dreadful  abuses  from  which  a  nation  can  suffer,  still, 
daring  that  reign  of  terror,  men  had  a  pseudonym  on 
their  lips,  and  swore  devotion  to  freedom  from  any  re- 
straint whatsoever.  "  Liberty,  Fraternity,  and  Equality!" 
was  the  cry  that  rang  from  the  Mediterranean  Sea  to 
the  German  Ocean,  and  all  government  was  ignored. 
The  Supreme  Sovereign  himself  was  dethroned  in  the 
creeds,  and,  as  far  as  possible,  even  in  the  conscience. 
The  liberty  which  is  not  the  evidence  of  a  genuine  pro- 
gress of  humanity,  but  of  a  deplorable  retrogression, 
follows  in  the  train  of  the  god  of  this  world,  and  is  a 
deception  and  a  snare.  The  freedom  which  is  acquired 
through  the  penetration  of  the  Spirit  of  the  Gospel  into 
the  body  politic  of  a  nation,  is  a  positive  blessing.  They 
who  enjoy  it  are  under  the  closest  restraint,  yet  they  are 
absolutely  free.  This  is  no  paradox.  They  have  the 
Spirit  of  the  Son,  and,  "  where  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
is,  there  is  liberty."  It  is  this  statement  of  the  Apostle 
Paul,  in  his  letter  to  the  Church  at  Rome,  of  which  the 
events,  that  occurred  during  the  transitional  Period  of 
the  Reformed  Church,  in  the  Netherlands,  remind  us. 
The  very  contrast  between  the  false  liberty  and  the  true, 
which  is  set  forth  in  that  history,  furnishes  a  striking 
commentary  upon  this  sentence  from  the  pen  of  the  in- 
spired Apostle. 

One  of  the  most  beautiful  illustrations  of  the  exquisite 
neatness  of  execution  which  characterizes  all  the  works 
of  the  Creator,  is  furnished  by  the  vegetable  kingdom. 
The  angles  which  are  made  in  the  leaves  of  a  particular 
tree,  by  the  veins  which  spread  out  laterally  from  that 
which  bisects  them  longitudinally,  are  similar  to  those 
made  by  the  limbs  which  branch  out  from  the  trunk. 


310    REFORMED   CHURCH   IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

The  peculiarities  of  the  greater  are  reproduced  in  the 
minor.  There  are  certain  lessons  which  are  taught  by 
the  history  of  the  world,  but  which  are  taught  also  by 
that  of  an  insignificant  portion  of  it.  This  must  be  ad- 
mitted by  every  one  who  studies  history,  not  upon  a 
graduated  chronological  scale,  but,  philosophically,  upon 
a  principle  in  which  the  question  of  duration  of  time 
does  not  enter.  From  the  history  of  the  Eeformed 
Church  in  the  Netherlands  we  gather  instruction  con- 
cerning the  Divine  Character,  the  nature  of  man,  the 
Providence  of  God,  his  faithfulness  to  his  people,  the 
evil  of  forsaking  him,  the  wisdom  of  union  and  the  dis- 
aster of  strife,  and  kindred  topics,  just  as  clearly  as 
from  that  of  the  Church  universal.  Yes,  we  hesitate 
not  to  avow  the  opinion  that  the  shortest  period  of  the 
history  of  the  Eeformed  Church  in  the  Netherlands — 
tli at  when  the  great  triumph  of  Calvinism  over  Eemon- 
strantism  was  achieved — teaches  these  things  as  distinct- 
ly as  the  longest.  What  any  striking  history  holds  up  to 
the  view  of  the  reflecting,  is  known  to  those  to  whom  it 
is  more  than  "  a  tale  that  is  told." 

The  seventeenth  century  had  not  been  completed,  be- 
fore the  Eeformed  Church  became  established  in  Ameri- 
ca. The  daughter  in  the  New  World  is  already  nearly 
two  hundred  years  old.  Let  the  child  learn  wisdom  by 
the  experience  of  the  parent.  In  that  the  Lord  has 
given  a  name  and  a  place  in  the  wonderful  continent 
whither  the  nations  flock,  as  the  birds  of  heaven  in  the 
vision,  to  the  tree  that  symbolized  the  now  effete  As- 
syrian monarchy,  He  intimates  that  the  Eeformed  Church 
in  America  has  a  mission.  What  is  it  ?  That  which 
she  has  in  common  with  all  Evangelical  Churches — to 
save  the  souls  of  men  by  leading  them  to  the  great 
Mediator,  the  ever  blessed  Lord  Jesus  Christ.     But  in 


TRANSITIONAL   PEEIOD.  311 

what  manner  shall  the  Keformed  Church  respond  to 
this  duty  and  privilege?  By  upholding  her  standards 
of  the  Calvinistic  representation  of  Bible-truth?  By 
faithfulness  to  her  well-ordered  polity?  By  a  strict 
regard  to  her  methods  of  discipline?  By  a  wise  use  of 
her  liturgy?  By  any  one  of  these,  or  by  all  combined? 
By  all  means  let  there  be  unity  and  concord,  throughout 
the  entire  Church,  in  respect  to  those  matters  which  dis- 
tinctively point  to  her  history,  her  order,  her  polity,  her 
doctrine.     Eendragt  maakt  magt. 

May  the  Beformed  Church  ever  prove  true  to  her 
motto — that  Church,  hallowed  by  an  experience  which 
is  truly  wonderful,  replete  with  lessons  of  wisdom,  hu- 
mility, joy  in  the  Lord  and  dependence  on  the  Holy 
Spirit!  In  the  years  to  come,  when  that  part  of  her  his- 
tory which  is  yet  to  be  made  shall  be  written,  may  it  be 
recorded  that  in  the  great  army  of  the  Lord  of  hosts  she 
proved  herself  a  division  of  it,  constantly  growing  in 
numbers,  increasing  in  efficiency,  and  ever  in  the  fore- 
front of  the  battle  against  the  enemies  of  the  Lord,  and 
achieving  great  victories  for  the  upbuilding  of  His  king- 
dom and  the  extension  of  His  glory  in  the  earth! 

NISI   DOMINUS    FRUSTRA. 


the  e:xd. 


INDEX 


Absolutism,  principle  of,  276. 

Accord,  Form  of,  115. 

Act  of  Silence,  162,  182. 

Agricola,  29. 

Alasco,  John,  meets  Simons  in  Friesland,  49;  his  Confession  o 
faith,  58;  superintends  Church  of  London,    66;   composed  a 
liturgy,  71. 

Aldegonde,  St.  (see  Marnix). 

Alexander  YI. ,  Pope,  14. 

Alva,  Duke  of,  deposed  priests  in  Friesland,  36;  enters  Brussels, 
64;  recalled,  85. 

America,  when  discovered,  23. 

Amilianus,  his  opinion  of  Descartes,  195.  * 

Amsterdam,  magistrates  of,  send  Arminius  to  Geneva,  127;  Con- 
sistory of,  calls  him  to  pastorate,  127;  pastors  of,  agree,  216; 
magistrates  of,  receive  Labadie,  222;  ministers  of,  refuse  to 
comply  with  act  of  representatives  of  Holland,  279 ;  Classis  of, 
addresses  King  William  I.,  290. 

Anabaptists,  42;  their  opinions,  46;  Prov.  Syn.  of  Dort  on,  90. 

Anjou,  Francis,  Duke  of,  called  to  the  Dutch  protectorate,  99. 

Antwerp,  Synod  of,  55;  image-breaking  in,  64. 

Aquinas,  Thomas,  204. 

Archives  of  early  Synods,  175. 

Aristotle,  193. 

Arminius,  114;  his  life,  126  seq. 

Armistice  between  Spain  and  the  Netherlands,  109  seq. 

Arnoldi  objects  to  Bekker's  book  on  Heid.  Catechism,  232  seq. 

Arnoldus  takes  Coornhert  to  task,  118. 

Article,  the  fortieth,  of  Prov.  Syn.  of  Dort,  88. 

Assembly,  1st  National,  278;  2d  National,  283. 
27 


314  INDEX. 

Atonement,   Remonstrant  view  of,  148  seq. ;  doctrine  of  Great 

Synod  of  Dort  on,  168. 
Atrecht,  treaty  of,  100. 
Auerbach  on  Spinoza,  228. 
Austria,  Don  John  of,  92. 

"        Margaret  of,   imprisons  Pistorius,  32;  represents  King 

Philip  in  the  Netherlands,  52;  receives  the  Compromise,  57. 

Bahrdt  at  meeting  of  infidels,  274  seq. 

Balk,  124. 

Banquet  to  Great  Synod  of  Dort,  163. 

Baptism,  Syn.  of  Wezel  on,  81;  Prov.  Syn.  of  Dort  on,  89. 

Baptists  (see  Anabaptists). 

Batavian  Republic   acknowledged,   278;    desires  to  meddle    in 

Church-affairs,  285. 
Batenburg,  protest  against  Cocceians,  217. 
Bayle,  Peter,  191. 
Beets,  N.,  253. 
Bekker,  Balthasar,  192;  favors  Cartesianism,  196  seq. ;  writes  on 

Heid.  Catechism,  232  seq.;  writes  on  comets,  234;  his  "World 

bewitched,"  234;  denies  influence  of  spirits,  235;  deposed,  236. 
Bekkerism,  Classical  action  on,  236. 
Belgic  Confession  (see  Confession  of  faith). 
Bellarmine,  127. 

Bergen,  scene  of  Merula's  execution,  41. 
Bernhard  of  Clairvaux,  15. 
•Bernsau,  his  Analogia,  260. 

Bertus,  Petrus,  his  funeral  oration  on  Arminius,  131. 
Beyerus,  Hugo,  ministers  to  Oldenbarneveldt,  176. 
Beza,  118,  127,  205. 

Bible,  translated  into  Dutch,  173  seq. ;  Spinoza  on  the,  227. 
Bilderdyk,  his  opposition  to  rationalism,  298;  supports  Scholte, 

300. 
Blom,  Cornelius,  265  seq. 
Bogerman,   elected    President  of    Great   Synod    of    Dort,    142: 

violently  dismisses  Remonstrants,  158  seq. ;  prepared  statement 

of  doctrine,  166;   thanks  magistrates  of  Dort,  179;    replies  to 

Van  Holen,  180;  reports  at  the  Hague,  180. 
Bonnet  on  formulas  of  the  faith,  296. 
Bouwens  baptizes  at  Embden,  43. 


INDEX.  315 

Brake],  William,  216;  on  Labadists,  234;  a  favorite  author,  254; 

wrote  against  arrogance  of  magistrates,  265  seq. 
Brand,  G.,  mentions  Baptists,  43  seq. ;  his  account  of  Remonstrant 

tenets,  147  seq. 
Brederoode,  Hendrik,  leads  nobles  into  Brussels,  56. 
Bres,  Guido  de,  composed  Confession  of  faith,  58. 
Brethren  of  Common  Life,  institution  of  order  of,  20;  Groote's 

address  to  them,  21;  places  where  they  were  established,  21. 
Briel,  its  orphan  asylum,  35;  captured,  85. 
Brouwer  assails  H.  De  Cock,  299. 
Brussels,  meeting  of  the  nobles  in,  56. 
Bulthuis  fined  for  politics  in  the  pulpit,  274. 
Buxtorf  praises  Arminius,  132. 

Calls,  ministerial,  Synod  of  Embden  on,  85;  submitted  to  the 
government  for  approval,  285. 

Calvin,  doctrine  of  Lord's  Supper,  53;  views  of  Church-polity, 
54;  advice  of,  concerning  new  Confession,  58. 

Calvinists,  increase  of,  in  the  Netherlands,  54. 

Candidates  for  communion,  95. 

Canons,  announced,  160;  their  substance,  167  seq. 

Careleton,  George,  140;  on  committee  on  Canons,  167. 

Cartesian  philosophy,  principle  of,  194  seq. ;  rejected,  196. 

Casimir,  John,  100. 

Catechism  of  Geneva,  84.     (See  Heidelberg  Catechism.) 

Cats,  Jacobus,  expresses  popular  thought,  157;  presides  at  assem- 
bly  of  the  States,  189;  a  favorite  author,  254. 

Century,  the  fifteenth,  remarkable  events  in,  23. 

Charles  V.,  edicts  of,  against  the  Reformation,  62;  edicts  of, 
abolished,  92. 

Charlemagne,  schools  established  by  him,  21. 

Chevalier,  friend  of  Da  Costa,  300. 

Christian  ordinances,  contributed  to  the  liturgy,  71. 

Church,  the,  condition  of,  in  14th  century,  17;  effort  at  reforma- 
tion within  it,  36;  legislative  bodies  in,  94;  protects  her  doc- 
trine, 115;  is  jealous  of  her  rights,  121;  formality  of,  189;  evils 
besetting  it,  189  seq. ;  how  it  was  regarded  at  the  time  of  the 
revolution,  254;  numerical  strength  at  close  of  18th  century, 
254;  divided  into  two  parties,  270;  protests  against  the  king's 
regulations,  290;  reasons  for  schism  in,  299. 


316  INDEX. 

Church  and  State,  friction  between,  90,  93;  unsettled  relations  of, 
101 ;  mixture  between  them  to  be  avoided,  101 ;  bond  between 
them  drawn  closer,  182;  want  of  harmony  between  them,  188; 
divorced,  276  seq. ;  ordinance  denning  relation  between  them, 
289  seq. ;  the  King's  understanding  of  relation  between  them, 
288  seq. 

Cities  of  refuge,  65  seq. 

Classis,  of  Leeuwarden  denounces  Blom,  268;  of  Dokkum  attacks 
lemma  Orange-Nassau,  273. 

Classes,  early,  their  bounds  fixed,  84;  formed  by  Prov.  Syn.  of 
Dort,  84;  their  officers,  95;  issue  a  pamphlet  on  relation 
between  Church  and  State,  124;  request  a  Provincial  Synod, 
134;  oppose  Descartes  and  Cocceius,  215;  maintain  rights  of 
Reformed  Church,  279;  must  give  strict  attention  to  examina- 
tion of  candidates,  293. 

Cocceius,  192;  his  life,  198  seq.;  his  attractive  lectures,  199;  his 
views  of  Bible-interpretation,  200;  his  view  of  Christianity, 
200;  of  pardon  of  sin  under  O.  T.,  201;  of  the  Sabbath,  201; 
on  history  of  Christian  Church,  202;  his  death,  203;  his  princi- 
ple of  interpretation,  214. 

Cocceian,  pastors,  their  ingenuity,  210;  their  opinion  of  covenant 
of  grace,  214. 

Cocceians,  view  of  Church-polity  of,  214;  denounce  Voetians, 
214;  divisions  among  Ihem,  216;  their  mode  of  life,  218. 

Coligni,  Louise  de,  favors  politico  ecclesiasticism,  122. 

Comets,  157,  233. 

Committee,  Synodical,  to  draw  up  Canons,  167. 

Compromise  offered  by  the  nobles,  56. 

Confession  of  faith,  history  of,  58  seq. ;  not  subscribed  at  Wezel, 
77;  signed  at  Synod  of  Embden,  83;  action  of  Prov.  Syn.  of 
Dort  on,  87;  action  of  1st  Nat.  Synod  of  Dort  on,  96;  action 
of  Synod  of  Middelburg  on,  102;  revised  by  Great  Synod  of 
Dort,  177. 

Conservatives  in  religion,  270. 

Consistories,  early,  met  how  often,  83;  what  was  required  by 
Prov.  Syn.  of  Dort  from,  87;  their  duties,  95. 

Consolation  of  sick,  Form  for,  175. 

Constantinople  captured,  23. 

Constitution  of  the  State  framed,  284. 

Contra-Remonstrance,  articles  of,  151. 


INDEX.  317 

Conventions,  classical,  83. 

Conventicles,  207. 

Conversion,  Remonstrant  view  of,  149;  Synod  of  Dort  on,  168. 

Coolbaas,  Casper,  dispute  with  Peterson,  102;  what  he  repre- 
sents, 114;  life  of,  123  seq. 

Coornhert,  Dirk  V.,  116  seq. 

Cornelius,  Arnoldus,  member  of  com.  on  translation  of  the  Bible, 
174. 

Cornelisson,  Peter,  dispute  with  Coolbaas,  102. 

Council  of  Blood,  65;  banishes  Coornhert,  117. 

Council,  Civil,  duties  of,  291. 

Council  of  Trent,  39. 

Crabetb,  the  Brothers,  their  elegant  stained-glass  windows  at 
Gouda,  120. 

Crispyn,  John,  publishes  Confession  of  Faith  at  Geneva,  60. 

Cups,  beautiful,  presented  to  city  of  Wezel,  67. 

Curtius,  Herman  Donker,  295  seq. 

Da  Costa,  Isaac,  reaction  against  rationalism,  298. 

Damman,  Sebastian,  scribe  of  Great  Synod  of  Dort,  142. 

Dathenus,  Petrus,  55;  volume  published  by  him,  69;  presides  at 
Synod  of  Wezel,  76;  his  versified  psalms,  88;  opposes  treaty  of 
religious  peace,  97. 

Deacons,  two  Classes  of,  and  their  duties,  80. 

De  Bakker,  John  (see  Pistorius). 

Decani  Cbristianitatis,  94. 

De  Cock,  Hendrik,  299  seq. 

De  Cock,  Gerardus  T.,  accused  of  heresy,  262. 

Delegates  to  church-bodies,  94;  number  of,  probably  would  attend 
Great  Synod  of  Dort,  139;  escorted  to  Synod's  place  of  meet- 
ing, 141. 

De  la  Chapelle,  opposes  Maty,  259. 

Delft-Conference,  135. 

Deodatus,  Johannes,  remark  of,  on  execution  of  Oldenbarneveldt, 
165;  member  of  com.  on  Canons,  167. 

De  Pours,  Jeremiah,  preaches  to  Great  Synod,  141. 

Depravity,  Human,  "Remonstrant  view,  Synod  of  Dort  on,  149. 

Descartes,  Rene,  192;  his  life,  194  seq.;  his  philosophy,  195. 

Deurhoff,  William,  issues  books  on  philosophy,  231. 

Diagram  of  Great  Synod  of  Dort,  143. 


318  INDEX. 

Diest-Lorgion  quotes  Baptist  author,  45. 

Dismission,  letters  of,  95. 

Doctrine,  rule  for  preserving  purity  of,  89. 

Doddridge,  255. 

Dominacalia,  88. 

Donteclock  takes  Coornhert  to  task,  118. 

Dordrecht,  Prov.  Synod  of,  86  seq. ;  1st  National  Synod  of,  92 

seq.    (See  Great  Synod  of.) 
Du  Jon  (see  Junius). 
Dwinglo,  Bernardus,  reads  a  paper  for  Remonstrants,  155. 

Edicts  against  the  Reformation,  62. 

Edward  VI.,  King,  gives  a  building  to  Ref. Church  of  London,  66 

Egmont,  Count,  is  sent  on  a  mission  to  Spain,  63. 

Elders,  duties  of,  described  by  Synod  of  Wezel,  79. 

Election,  Remonstrant  view  of,  148;  Doctrine  of  Synod  of  Dort, 

167. 
Elizabeth,  Princess  of  Palatinate,  receives  Labadists,  222. 

"         Queen,  supports  Church  of  London,  66;  favors  Anjou, 

100;  represented  in  Netherlands  by  Leicester,  109. 
Elohim,  how  translated  in  Staten-bybel,  174. 
Embden,  the  Alma  Mater  of  the  Ref.  Church,  66;  its  hospitality 

awarded,  66. 
Engelhard  favors  Leibnitz- Wolffian  philosophy,  260. 
Ens,  Peter,  his  doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  260. 
Episcopius,  insulted  by  a  mob,  113;  appointed  prof,  at  Leyden, 

133;     cited   before   Synod  of  Dordrecht,    153;    addresses  the 

Synod,  154;  replies  to  Bogerman,  159. 
Erasmus,  sketch  of  his  life,  25  seq. 
Erastianism,  supported  by  Classis  of  Leeuwarden,  268. 
Essenius,  Professor,  replies  to  Cocceius,  202. 
Excommunication,  Form  of,  102;  of  Spinoza,  230. 
Exegesis,  two  schools  of,  in  17th  century,  208. 
Exhortation  addressed  to  authorities  in  Netherlands,  60. 

Factions,  beginning  and  number  of,  213  seq. 

Faith,  Remonstrant  view  of,  147. 

Fast-day,  140. 

Faukelius,  Hermanus,  adsessor  at  Great  Synod,  142, 

Feast-days,  89,  96. 


INDEX.  319 

Field-service,  the  first,  64. 

Flanders,  image-breaking  in,  64. 

Fontainebleau,  assembly  of,  59. 

Foreign  Delegates,  ceremonies  at  departure  of,  162;  thanked,  163 
on  Heid.  Catechism,  173;  on  the  Confession  of  faith,  177. 

Form  of  Accommodation,  136. 

Formulas  of  Faith,  Bonnet  on,  296. 

France,  not  represented  at  Synod  of  Dort,  140;  war  of,  with  the 
Netherlands,  275;  soldiers  of,  enter  Netherlands,  276;  Reformed 
Church  in,  287. 

Francis  II.,  King,  receives  Confession  of  French  Churches,  59. 

Franeker,  University  of,  198,  232,  238. 

Frederic  Henry,  Prince,  died,  188;  his  luxury,  190. 

Freethinkers  abusing  hospitality  of  Netherlands,  274. 

Friesland,  return  of  piety  in,  246;  meeting  of  provisional  repre- 
sentatives of,  277. 

Fundamental  law  of  Holland,  289. 

Funerals,  97. 

Gabriel,  Peter,  holds  field-service,  64. 

Gansvoort,  Wessel,  21. 

Gerardsz,  Gerard  (see  Erasmus). 

Geux,  name  assumed  by  the  nobles,  57. 

Ghent,  Pacification  of,  92. 

God,  Spinoza  on  existence  of,  229;  on  liberty  of,  230. 

Gomarus,  opposes  appointment  of  Arminius,  128;  his  opinion  of 

predestination,  129;  has  a  debate  with  Arminius,  130;  retires  to 

Middelburg,  133;  receives  Synodical  delegates,  141. 
Gregorius  addresses  Synod  of  Dort,  142. 
Groenewoud  distinguishes  between  believing  and  faith,  258. 
Groningen,  magistrates  of,  forbid  use  of  liturgical  questions,  73; 

University  of,  259. 
Groote,  Gerard,  18  seq. 
Grotius,  Hugo,  on  Erasmus,  26;  on   Coornhert,  120;  pleads  for 

civil  authority  over  the  Church,  122;  on  Arminius,  132. 

Haarlem,  cruel  siege  of,  86. 

Hague,  The,  scene  of  execution  of  Pistorius,  33 ;  imprisonment  of 
Merula,  39;  imprisonment  of  Coornhert,  117;  lecture  associa- 


320  INDEX. 

tion  of,  255;  natural  right  of  man  proclaimed  at,  278;  William 
proclaimed  king,  288. 

Hales,  John,  King  James'  commissioner,  174. 

Hand-opening,  nature  of,  264. 

Heads  of  Doctrine  (see  Canons). 

Heenvliet,  36. 

Heidanus,  Professor,  supports  Cocceius,  201;  "moral  considera- 
tions" of,  215. 

Heidelberg  Catechism,  adopted,  60;  to  be  used  by  Dutch-speaking 
churches,  84;  action  on,  by  Prov.  Synod  of  Dort,  88;  pamphlet 
of  Coornhert  against  it,  119;  examination  of  it  enjoined,  130; 
Great  Syn.  of  Dort  on,  172;  direction  for  instruction  in  it,  173; 
foreign  delegates  on,  173;  Bekker's  volume  on,  232;  preaching 
on,  required  under  new  order,  293. 

Helmichius,  Warnerus,  member  of  committee  on  translation  of 
the  Bible,  174. 

Herder,  207. 

Heringa,  adopts  quia  side  of  controversy,  295;  attempts  reconcil- 
iation between  quia  and  quatenus  sides,  296. 

Holland,  action  of  provisional  representatives  of,  279;  made  a 
kingdom,  288. 

Hollingerus,  protest  of  against  expulsion  from  Synod  of  Dort,  159. 

Hommius,  Festus,  on  Arminius,  131;  scribe  of  Synod  of  Dort, 
142;  revision  of  liturgy  committed  to  him,  176. 

Hoornbeek,  Professor,  answers  Cocceius,  202. 

Huber  opposes  Roell,  238. 

Huss,  John,  15. 

Iconoclasm,  64. 

Improvement  under  new  organization  of  Church,  291. 

Independence,  movements  toward,  252;  of  the  Church  in  four 

periods,  283. 
Indies,  The,  churches  planted  in,  192. 
Infant-baptism,  discussion  connected  with  it,  73. 
Infidelity  during  revolution,  274. 
Influences  tending  to  advance  Reformation,  52. 
Infralapsarians,  146. 

Interdict  laid  upon  usages  of  Reformed  Church,  280. 
Interim,  The,  38. 
Interpretation,    Cocceian  method  of,   209;    specimens  of,    210; 

Voetian  method  of,  211. 


INDEX.  321 

James,  King,  on  Arminius,  131 ;  opposed  to  Vorstius,  133. 

Jausenists,  The,  219. 

Joncourt,  217. 

Julius  II.,  Pope,  14. 

Junius,  Franciscus,  56;  prays  at  meeting  of  nobles,  56;  tran- 
scribes Confession,  60;  on  Coornhert,  120;  on  predestination, 
127. 

Karelstadians,  53. 

Kempis,  Thomas  a,  20. 

Klok,  J. ,  his  work  on  the  Evangelical  Hymns,  300. 

Koelman,  207. 

Koster,  Laurens,  invents  printing,  24. 

Kruningen,  Lord,  calls  Merula,  36. 

Kuypers,  his  exciting  ministry,  262. 

Labadie,  Jean  de,  192;  Voet's  sympathy  with,  206;  Sketch  of 
his  life,  219  seq. 

Labadists,  their  doctrinal  views,  223;  their  mysticism,  223;  their 
Churches  in  New  York,  225. 

Lecture-courses  founded,  255. 

Leeuwarden,  strife  between  magistrates  of,  and  Blom,  268. 

Leibnitz-Wolffian  philosophy,  260. 

Leicester,  Earl  of,  administration  of,  109. 

Leo  X.,  Pope,  14. 

Letter  of  Scholte  to  King  William  L,  301. 

"     to  Philip  II.  with  the  Confession  of  faith,  59. 

Leyden,  University  of,  founded,  133;  appoints  Vorstius,  133. 

Liberty  of  conscience  allowed  by  the  Reformed,  115;  of  religion 
called  for,  277. 

Liberalism,  principle  of,  276. 

Liturgy,  The,  formed,  69  seq.;  necessity  for  revision  of,  72;  re- 
vised by  Great  Synod  of  Dort,  175;  added  to  by  Synod  of  Dort, 
176;  other  revisions  of,  176;  contentions  about,  263. 

Lombard,  Peter,  204. 

Lombards,  90. 

London,  the  Church  in,  65;  order  of  worship  in  church  of,  103. 

Lord's  Supper,  Synod  of  Wezel  on,  81;  Lutheran  doctrine  of,  53; 
Calvinistic  doctrine  of,  53;  Zwinglian  doctrine  of,  53. 

Louis  XIV.,  dragonnades,  303, 


322  INDEX. 

Louis  of  Nassau  leads  nobles  into  Brussels,  56. 

Louvain,  University  of  (see  Pistorius). 

Luther,  Martin,  date  of  birth  of,  23;  date  of,  95;  theses  of,  29; 

view  of  church-polity,  53. 
Lutherans,  doctrine  of  Lord's  Supper,  53. 
Lydius,  Balthasar,  addresses  Great  Synod  of  Dort,  142;  preaches 

closing  sermon  of  Synod  of  Dort,  178. 
Lypsius,  Justus,  book  of,  on  unity  in  religion,  120. 

Maclaine,  exposition  of  Bekker's  argument,  235. 

Manifesto  of  provisional  representatives,  276. 

Marck,  Johannes  a,  216. 

Maresius,  Professor,  combats  Cocceian  tenets,  $02. 

Marloratus,  A.,  annotation  of  Dutch  N.  T.,  70. 

Marnix,  Philip  of,  56;  publishes  the  Psalms,  72;  present  at  Synod 
of  Wezel,  77;  signs  pacification  of  Ghent,  92;  on  abjuring  au- 
thority of  Philip  II.,  105;  member  of  committee  on  translation 
of  Bible,  174. 

Mary,  Queen,  persecution  under,  66. 

Mass-book,  change  made  in  it  by  Merula,  38. 

Matthias,  Archduke,  invited  to  the  Netherlands,  93;  opposes 
Anjou,  99. 

Maty,  Paulus,  doctrine  of,  on  the  Trinity,  259. 

Maurice,  Prince,  opponent  of,  109;  sides  with  the  Church  against 
the  State,  122;  resolves  to  support  the  Reformed,  137;  con 
demns  violence  of  Bogerman,  159;  death  of,  188. 

Maximilian  II.,  Emperor,  receives  copy  of  the  Confession,  61. 

Mazarin,  220. 

Medals,  given  to  foreign  delegates  to  Synod  of  Dort,  163;  to  home 
delegates,  181;  to  political  delegates,  181;  about  Bekker,  234. 

Melancthon,  29. 

Melancthonians,  53. 

Merle,  William,  efforts  of,  in  behalf  of  Merula,  41. 

Merula,  Angelus,  35  seq. 

Middelburg,  scene  of  Labadie's  labors,  221.     (See  Synod  of.) 

Middelstrum,  Chassis  of,  opposes  De  Cock,  299. 

Mimonides,  226. 

Ministers,  questions  proposed  to,  at  installation  of,  78;  compara- 
tive standing  of,  among  themselves,  85;  preaching  from  O. 
T.,  88;  petition  of,  against  a  vicar,  252;  take  political  sides, 


INDEX.  323 

274;  send  petition  to  National  Assembly,  280;  salaries  of, 
paid  by  the  State,  284;  send  memorial  to  Napoleon,  287. 

Ministerial  Department,  290;  secretary's  answer  to  protest  of 
Classis  of  Amsterdam,  291. 

Modet,  Henry,  56;  present  at  Synod  of  Wezel,  77. 

Mommers  reconciles  Cocceians  and  Voetians,  217. 

Morteira,  Saul  Levi,  Rabbi,  226. 

Mosheim  on  doctrines  of  Mennonites,  49. 

Naeranus  protests  against  his  expulsion  from  Synod  of  Dort,  159. 

National  Synod  must  meet  how  often,  84. 

Napoleon  provides  for  support  of  Reformed  ministers,  287. 

Napoleon,  Louis,  king  of  Holland,  286. 

Netherlands,  The,  in  14th  century,  13;  sad  condition  of  before  the 
revolution,  275;  religious  aspect  of,  after  the  revolution,  282; 
an  independent  kingdom,  288. 

New  Testament,  translated  into  Dutch  by  Rhodius,  30;  by  Uiten- 
hove,  70. 

Newton,  Cardiphonia  of,  255. 

Nicolas,  Henry,  disputes  with  Coornhert,  116. 

Niellius,  Carolus,  protest  of  against  act  of  Synod  of  Dort,  155;  pro- 
test of  against  his  expulsion  from  the  Synod,  159. 

Nobles,  The,  present  the  Compromise  to  the  regent,  57. 

Notices,  secular,  in  pulpits,  89. 

Oath,  The,  taken  by  Synod  of  Dort,  153. 

Odulphus,  205. 

Oldeklooster,  the  tragedy  of,  47. 

Oldenbarneveldt,  109;  urges  claims  of  the  State  over  the  Church, 
122;  request  of,  to  Prince  Maurice,  137;  executed,  165;  com- 
forted by  the  liturgy,  176. 

Opponents  of  the  Reformed,  gradual  course  of,  126. 

Orange-men,  272,  274. 

Orange- Nassau,  lemma  of,  273. 

Ordinance  defining  relation  of  Church  and  State,  289. 

Organs  in  churches,  89. 

Paris,  University  of,  36. 
Parma,  Prince  of,  100. 
Pascal,  77. 


324  INDEX. 

Patriots,  political,  271. 

Paulus,  Peter,  elected  President  of  National  Convention,  278. 

People,  The,  of  the  Netherlands,  desire  reformation  in  14th  cen- 
tury, 18;  their  interest  in  schools  of  the  Brethren,  21;  attach- 
ment to  Calvinism,  54;  their  time  of  trial,  86;  interested  in 
predestination,  113;  long  for  a  Synod,  114;  fear  comets,  157; 
become  more  devout,  245;  lose  confidence  in  the  Church,  252; 
divided  into  three  political  parties,  270;  representatives  of, 
meet,  278;  condition  of,  after  the  revolution,  282;  rejoice  over 
return  of  the  Stadtholder,  288. 

Perrot,  127. 

Perseverance  of  Saints,  Remonstrant  view  of,  150;  Synod  of  Dort 
on,  169. 

Peterson,  Peter,  dispute  with  Coolhaas,  102. 

Philip  II.,  King,  orders  execution  of  Merula,  41;  his  mistake,  62; 
his  answer  to  Egmont,  63;  his  oath,  63;  prayed  for  after  hav- 
ing been  abjured,  70;  appoints  Parma  regent,  100;  his  authority 
abjured,  105;  date  of  death  of,  109. 

Pistorius,  30  seq. 

Plancius  opposes  Arminius,  127. 

Polanus,  Vallerandus,  71. 

Political  delegates  oppose  Bogerman,  166;  their  stipend,  181. 

Polyander,  appointed  professor  at  Leyden,  133;  opposes  Episco- 
pius,  154;  preaches  to  Synod  of  Dort,  157;  member  of  commit- 
tee on  Canons,  167;  reports  at  the  Hague,  180. 

Post-Acta  of  Synod  of  Dort,  171  seq. 

Prayers,  evening,  89. 

Predestination,  doctrine  of,  held  up  to  contempt,  112;  views  of 
Junius  on,  127;  doctrine  of  Arminius  on,  128.     (See  Election.) 

Preparatory  service,  questions  to  be  asked  at,  292. 

Printing,  art  of,  when  invented,  23;  influence  of,  on  manuscripts, 
24;  on  morals  of  monks,  25. 

Professors  of  theology,  appointed  by  the  State,  293;  present  at 
Synods,  293. 

Prophesying,  in  the  Church  of  London,  79. 

Questions,  asked  of  Classes,  96,  259. 

"  in  form  for  infant  baptism,  forbidden,  73;  debates 

on,  263. 
"  to  be  settled  at  armistice,  110. 


INDEX.  325 

Questions,  asked  of  catechumens,  214. 
"  candidates,  236. 
"  "     at  preparatory  service,  292. 

Radewynsz,  Florentius,  conversation  with  Groote,  20. 

Rationalism,  effects  of  its  application,  253;  reaction  against,  298. 

Reaal,  Laurens  Jacobs,  sends  to  Embden  for  pastors,  66. 

Redding  assails  H.  De  Cock,  299. 

Reformers  within  the  Church,  37. 

Reformed  The,  condition  of,  under  Alva,  82;  cling  to  predestina- 
tion, 111. 

Reformed  Church,  the,  organized,  76;  internal  conflicts  of,  257; 
former  privileges  of  abolished,  279 ;  loss  of  influence  of,  after 
revolution,  283;  under  Louis  Napoleon,  286;  restrictions  upon, 
290. 

Reforme'd  Churches,  the,  in  Germany  and  Friesland,  83. 

Reformed  Religion  established  in  the  Netherlands,  105. 

Reformed,  teachings  of  the,  concerning  comets,  223. 

Regensburg,  imperial  diet  of,  61. 

Regius  represents  Cartesianism  at  Utrecht,  197. 

Regulations,  adopted  by  1st  National  Assembly,  278;  by  the  2d 
National  Assembly,  283. 

Reinders  executed  at  Leeuwarden,  48. 

Religion,  liberty  in,  asked  for,  97;  demanded,  277. 

Remonstrants,  why  so  called,  126;  had  sympathizers  in  Synod  of 
Dort,  146;  their  tenets,  147;  cited  before  the  Synod,  153;  their 
arrival,  154;  will  not  yield  the  word  "  Conference,"  154;  com- 
plain of  their  treatment,  158;  present  a  treatise,  158;  expulsion 
of,  from  the  Synod,  159;  condemnation  of,  published,  160  seq. ; 
under  arrest  in  the  Hague,  180;  persecuted,  181;  lament  of,  182. 

Requesens,  Don  Louis  de,  86;  death  of,  92. 

Revolution,  first  outbreak  of  its  spirit  in  a  church-assembly,  272. 

Revision  of  liturgy  necessary,  72. 

Rhetoricians,  topics  discussed  by  them,  37. 

Richelieu  on  Van  Aersens,  122. 

Roell,  Herman  Alexander,  life  of,  237;  his  view  of  the  death  of 
the  saints,  238;  of  the  generation  of  the  Son,  289;  on  relation 
between  Persons  of  the  Trinity,  239. 

Roland,  Madame,  her  exclamation,  253. 

Rolandus,  Jacobus,  adsessor  of  the  Synod  of  Dort,  142. 
28 


326  INDEX. 

Roman  Catholic  Church,  strength  of,  in  Netherlands,  281. 
Rousseau,  influence  of  his  works,  274. 

Sabbath,  Cocceius  on,  the,  201. 

Saravia,  Adrian,  sends  Confession  of  faith  to  Calvin,  58;  debate 
with  Coornhert,  119. 

Satirical  verses  on  Great  Synod  of  Dort,  164. 

Saurin,  Jacques,  on  falsehoods,  258.' 

Schimmelpenninck,  286. 

Schisms  in  the  Church  accounted  for,  298. 

Schortinghuis,  his  mysticism,  261. 

Schrader,  E.  W.,  264. 

Scholte,  H.  P.,  299,  300  seq. 

Scotus,  Duns,  204. 

Scultetus,  Abraham,  member  of  com.  on  Canons,  167. 

Seceders,  strength  of,  299;  forbidden  to  hold  service,  302. 

Senserf,  Walter,  lecture-course  of,  257. 

Sentence  against  Remonstrants,  160. 

Sermons,  directions  on,  by  Synod  of  Wezel,  78. 

Simons,  Menno,  47  seq. 

Spener,  220. 

Spinoza,  Benedict  de,  192;  youth  of,  226;  view  of  the  Bible,  227; 
of  Christian  religion,  227;  his  trade,  228;  teaching  concerning 
God's  existence,  229;  concerning  divine  liberty,  230;  excom- 
munication of,  230;  called  to  Heidelberg,  231. 

Spinozism,  231. 

Stadtholder,  The  Prince,  leaves  the  Netherlands,  276;  returns,  288. 

State,  The,  claims  of,  121;  refuses  to  give  up  claims  on  the 
Church,  183;  peculiar  attitude  toward  the  Church,  188;  regains 
supervision  over  the  Church,  298. 

Staten-bybel,  The,  why  so  called,  175. 

States-General,  The,  gain  strength,  109;  favor  Zwinglian  view  of 
Church-polity,  110;  make  declaration  concerning  the  Remon- 
strance, 133;  appoint  a  conference,  134;  acts  of  1611,  134; 
direction  concerning  ordinance,  135;  act  of  1614,  136;  act  of 
1616,  137;  resolve  to  convoke  a  Synod,  138;  arrange  for  the 
Synod,  139;  appoint  fast-day,  140;  receive  British  delegates, 
140;  acts  of,  read  at  the  Synod,  145;  declare  judicial  capacity 
of  Synod,  157;  approve  expulsion  of  Remonstrants,  159;  con- 
firm sentence  against  Remonstrants,  162;  order  translation  of 


INDEX.  327 

Post-Acta,  171;  fill  committee  on  translation  of  the  Bible,  174; 
urged  to  provide  for  missions,  177;  refuse  to  confirm  Church- 
ordinance,  177;  receive  report  of  Synod's  committee,  180;  send 
copies  of  N.  T.  to  Greek  Church,  192;  concur  in  Labadie's 
deposition,  221;  refuse  to  receive  an  apostolic  vicar,  250;  de- 
nounce heres3r-hunting,  253;  resign  the  government,  278. 

States,  The,  of  Friesland,  receive  a  remonstrance,  126;  adopt  an 
ordinance,  216;  adopt  measures  against  Labadists,  225;  action 
of,  in  regard  to  Ro6ll,  241 ;  receive  a  memorial  from  Consistory 
of  Leeu warden,  267;  sustain  magistrates  of  Leeuwarden,  268; 
change  lemma  "Orange-Nassau,"  273. 

States,  The,  of  Holland,  make  Coornhert  their  secretar}r,  117;  act 
of,  on  Coornhert's  pamphlet,  119,  order  debate  between  Coorn- 
hert and  Saravia  to  cease,  119;  attempt  to  restore  peace  at  Ley- 
den,  124;  receive  a  remonstrance,  126;  order  a  conference 
between  Arminius  and  Gomarus,  130;  receive  Remonstrant 
treatise,  133;  forbid  ministers  preaching  on  politics,  188;  for- 
bid disturbance  about  Cocceianism,  202;  forbid  blending  of 
study  of  theology  and  philosophy,  206;  favor  Cocceians,  215; 
ordinance  adopted  by  them,  216;  issue  placards  against  Spinoza, 
231. 

States,  The,  Over-Yssel,  approve  deposition  of  Van  der  Os,  261. 
"        "    Zeeland,  concur  in  Labadie's  deposition,  221. 

Students,  Voet's  advice  to,  206. 

Supralapsarians,  146. 

Synod,  The  General,  prepares  form  for  signature  by  candidates, 
294;  refuses  to  define  "  conformable  to  the  word  of  God,"  297; 
on  Evangelical  Hymns,  299;  on  questions  for  preparatory  ser- 
vice, 292,  299;  deposes  H.  De  Cock,  300;  act  of,  on  lemma 
"Orange-Nassau,"  274. 

Synod,  The,  of  Antwerp,  55;  revises  Confession,  60. 
"  "      Dordrecht,  Provincial,  86  seq. 

"  "  1st  National,  92  seq. 

"  Great,  provision  made  for  it,  139  seq.; 

day  of  opening  of,  141;  officers  of,  142;  diagram  of,  143;  doc- 
trinal questions  of,  146  seq. ;  points  in  dispute  of,  147;  deter- 
mines status  of  Remonstrants,  153;  discusses  method  of  settling 
differences,  156;  procedure  against  Remonstrants,  153  seq.; 
insulted,  163  seq. ;  its  doctrines,  166  seq. ;  appeals  for  its 
Canons,  170;  on  Heid.  Catechism,  172;  orders  translation  of  the 


328 


INDEX. 


Bible,  173;  prepares  form  of  subscription,  177;  action  of,  on 
Church-ordinance,  177;  adjournment  of,  178  seq. ;  last  session 
of,  178;  cost  of,  181. 
Synod,  The,  of  Drenthe,  88. 

Embden,  82  seq. 

Groningen  Provincial,  300. 

Haarlem,  Provincial,  125. 

the  Hague,  96;  act  of,  concerning  Coolhaas,  125. 

North  Holland,  236. 

South  Holland,  129,  171,  176,  202,  236,  255. 

Middelburg,  99  seq. ;  condemns  Coolhaas,  124. 

Over-Yssel,  261. 

Schoonhoven,  176. 

Teure,  94. 

Utrecht,  285. 

Wezel,  75  seq. 


Tafflnus,  friend  of  Arminius,  127. 

Tapper,  persecutes  Pistorius,  32 ;  Merula,  39. 

Tenets  of  leaders  of  Protestant  theology,  52. 

Thanksgiving-days,  288. 

Thysius  favors  appointment  of  Arminius,  128. 

Toleration,  false,  254;  universal,  advocated,  270. 

Treatise  of  Remonstrants,  133. 

Treaty  of  religious  peace,  97. 

Trigland,  Jacobus,  member  of  com.  on  Canons,  167. 

Tulip-speculation,  191. 

Turretin,  192. 


Ueberweg,  on  system  of  Descartes,  195;  on  system  of  Spinoza, 
227. 

Uitenbogart,  126;  reconciles  Arminius  to  Consistory  of  Amster- 
dam, 127;  favors  appointment  of  Arminius,  128;  his  opinion  of 
Arminius,  131. 

Uitenhove,  John,  translator  of  N.  T.,  70;  of  Alasco's  liturgy,  71. 

Ultra-Reformed,  offended,  97;  invite  John  Casimir,  99. 

Unification  of  believers  in  the  Netherlands,  .58. 

Ursinus  presumed  to  have  composed  Palatinate  liturgy,  72. 

Utrecht,  union  of,  100;  delegates  from,  at  Great  Syn.  of  Dort, 
147;  delegates  from,  oppose  citation  of  Episcopius,  153. 


INDEX  329 

Utrecht,  University  of,  approves  Leibnitz-Wolffian  philosophy, 
260. 

Van  den  Ende,  teacher  of  Spinoza,  226. 

Van  der  Heyden,  Kasper,  presides  at  Synod  of  Embden,  83. 

Van  der  Os,  errors  of,  261. 

Van  der  Palm,  253;  eloquence  of,  301. 

Van  Driessen,  opposes  Maty,  259;  Venema,  259;  Engelhard,  260; 

opposes  Leibnitz-Wolffian  philosophy,  260. 
Van  Holen,  Musius,  addresses  Syn.  of  Dort,  180;  reports  at  the 

Hague,  180. 
Van  Leenhof,  Frederic,  book  of,  231. 
Van  Prinsterer,  Groen,  on  Erasmus  27;  on  state  of  Ref.  Church 

in  18th  century,  244;  reaction  against  rationalism,  298. 
Van  Raalte,  A.  C,  304. 
Van  Schurman,  A.  M.,  learning  of,  220;   invites  Labadie,  220. 

follows  Labadie  to  Amsterdam,  222;  death  of,  224. 
Van  Stralen,  Henry,  286. 
Van  Thuynen  on  faith,  258. 

VanWingen,  Godfried,  advice  of,  respecting  new  Confession,  58. 
Veere,  scene  of  Labadie's  work,  221. 
Venema  on  doctrine  of  election,  259. 
Vicar,  apostolic,  rejected  by  the  States,  251. 
Vitringa,  Campeggius,  on  Labadists,  224;  replies  to  Roell,  240. 
Voet,  Gysbert,  192;  attacks  Cartesianism,  197;  attacks  Cocceian- 

ism,  202;  life  of,  205  seq. ;  his  opinion  on  comets,  233;  quotes 

Athanasius,  246. 
Voetians,    their  view    of    Church-polity,    214;     opinion    of,    of 

Cocceians,  214;  divisions  of,  216;  mode  of  living,  216. 
Volckwinner,  Cornelius,  printer  of  Alasco's  liturgy,  71. 
Voltaire,  influence  of  his  works,  253,  274. 
Vorstius  appointed  Professor  in  Leyden,  133. 
Vosbergen,  Josius,  suggestion  of,  at  Syn.  of  Dort,  142. 

Walaeus,  Antonius,  member  of  com.  on  Canons,  167. 
Walloon  Church,  spread  of  its  faith  in  the  Netherlands,  54. 

"       Churches,  distinctive  names  of,  55. 

11       early  Synods,  55. 

"       Confession  of  faith,  83. 
Wezel,  city  of  refuge,  67;  receives  silver  cups,  67. 


330  INDEX. 

Wickliffe,  15. 

Wiger,  Peter,  pleads  for  Erastianism,  268. 

William,  Prince  of  Orange,  52;  leans  to  Zwinglian  Church-polity, 
91 ;  looks  to  France  for  help,  99 ;  assassinated,  109. 

William  II.  died,  188. 

William  III.,  Stadtholder,  188;  favors  Voetians,  215;  commands 
adoption  of  ordinance,  216;  death  of,  216;  refuses  convocation 
of  Synod,  215. 

William  I.,  King,  proclaimed,  288;  appoints  com.  to  frame  ordi- 
nance, 289;  reply  to  Scholte's  letter,  302;  abdicates,  303. 

William  II.,  King,  his  treatment  of  the  separatists,  303. 

Witsius  on  Labadists,  224. 

Woerden  (see  Pistorius). 

Wolzogen,  his  opinions  on  Scripture-interpretation,  221. 

Ypey  en  Dermout,  opinion  of,  respecting  Erasmus,  26;  trace 
Baptists  to  the  Waldenses,  44. 

Zerbolt,  21. 

Zeeland,  ministers  of,  send  letters  to  Scotch  Church,  192;  cove- 
nant established  by,  246. 

Zurich,  edict  of,  against  Baptists,  44. 

Zwingle,  dispute  of,  with  Grebel  and  Mants,  43;  view  of,  con- 
cerning Church-polity,  54. 

Zwinglians,  doctrine  of,  concerning  Lord's  Supper,  53. 


